Left 2 Die: Infected
by moviebuffgirl
Summary: "Humans aren't the only ones who need to survive." The Green Flu outbreak has torn families apart. Nick has been separated from Julie, his 12-year old daughter, who has been Infected with the Witch strain. She, along with three other Special Infected, travel to New Orleans, where Julie hopes to reunite with her dad. Follows the Left 4 Dead 2 storyline, but with an Infected twist.
1. Everything Changes

**Everything Changes**

Nick loathed hospitals.

He hated the smell, the way the doctors seemed to act as if every god damn person in the building was going to die, and how everything seemed so _clean_.

"Doctor Memphis to Room 246 please, Doctor Memphis to Room 246 please," said the nurse over the intercom. Turning to him, she smiled sweetly at Nick. "Oh yes, you're Julie's dad, aren't you? She's in Room 266. It's right down that hallway."

"Thanks." Nick turned from the nurse and walked down the hallway, his hand in his pocket. His other hand was wrapped around a bouquet of white lilies, Julie's favorite flowers.

Nick found the room and, without hesitating, pushed the door open.

"Daddy."

Julie was lying on a hospital bed, her body attached to a series of machines via several tubes. Nick hated to see her like that, but he hid his distaste behind a rakish smile. "Hey sweetheart. I brought these for you."

"Daddy, you really shouldn't have," Julie said, taking the bouquet from him and inhaling the sweet scent. "I hope none of your buddies saw you buy this. I know you have a reputation to think of."

"Fuck my reputation," Nick answered, sitting on the bed, beside Julie. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Julie leaned back on the bed, her face obscured by the bouquet.

"I know when you're lying, Jules," Nick told her, frowning. "What did the doctor say?"

"He said I should continue taking the medicine, but right now surgery is the only way." Julie was looking everywhere but him. Nick gently cupped her chin with his hand and turned her head towards him.

"Julie, you know I would save you if I could," Nick said.

"I know." A tear slipped down Julie's cheek. "But Daddy, I know we don't have the money. And I don't want you to-"

"I'm going to Savannah."

Julie's eyes widened. "Daddy, you promised me…"

"Nobody knows me there, Julie," Nick insisted. "And if you think I'm just going to sit here and watch you die, you're mistaken."

"Daddy, didn't you hear the news? Pennsylvania has fallen. Don't go to Savannah, please," Julie begged. "Stay here. With me."

Nick sighed. "Sweetheart, you need the surgery. And since you don't want me to go to the poker tables in this goddamn town, I'm going to Savannah. It's relatively unknown, and I know my buddies haven't gotten that far yet."

"Daddy please. I don't want you to go," Julie said, her lip trembling.

_Ah crap_, Nick thought. He hated seeing her cry; it made him feel vulnerable. Hell, everything about his daughter made him feel vulnerable.

Julie was the only person in the world Nick completely trusted and cared for, but he remembered a time when he had wanted nothing to do with her. Julie was born when Nick was 23 and was just starting as a professional gambler and conman.

Julie's mom was a stripper who didn't plan on getting pregnant, and the moment Julie was born, she'd tracked him down and gave him the baby.

"You were supposed to wear a fucking condom," she had hissed at him, and left without a backward glance. At first Nick wanted to bring Julie to an orphanage, but then she slowly grew on him. Julie was like him in more ways than one. She stood just like him, spewed sarcastic and snide comments the way he did, and could stare grown men down with that icy blue gaze of hers.

Soon the two became a father-daughter team, but Nick was careful not to let Julie into his world too much. Out of concern for Julie, Nick had tried looking for women who could serve as mother figures. These all failed, as his ex-wives were nothing but jealous bitches who only cared for themselves.

"Julie, you'll be fine," Nick assured her. He was lying, he knew, but he'd rather be damned than let his daughter die. "And hey, you know I can take care of myself. I'll be back before you know it, sweetie."

"Daddy," Julie began, but was interrupted by several spasms. Nick's eyes widened and he started shouting for the doctor.

A man clad in a white coat and several nurses entered, attracted by the insistent beeping of Julie's heart monitor. It took them several minutes to resolve the issue, and once Julie had calmed down, the doctor pulled Nick aside.

"She doesn't have much time," the doctor said softly. "She needs to have that operation, otherwise her heart may just give out."

Nick nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "I understand. Thanks."

The doctor patted Nick's shoulder and left, the nurses trailing after him. Nick took a deep breath and entered the room. Julie was looking pale, but she gave him a wide smile that made him feel like he could fight a hundred guys and win.

"Daddy."

"Julie." Nick resumed his position beside her and took her hand in his. It felt cold and clammy, and he stroked her hand gently. "I'm leaving for Savannah."

Julie's lip trembled. "Daddy I've heard the reports. They say the Infection's spreading. What if they reach you?"

Nick's voice was firm. "Sweetheart, you know I love you. No matter what happens, I'm going to find a way to come and get you."

Julie nodded, covering his hand with her other one. "And Daddy, you know that I will do the same for you, right?"

"I know. But Julie, promise me you'll stay here," Nick told her, frowning at her.

Julie hesitated, and then nodded again. "I promise."

Satisfied, Nick leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. He could feel her clutching the lapel of his white suit jacket – the one she had helped pick out during one of their Christmas shopping trips in Las Vegas – and he pressed his forehead against hers, ignoring the fact that it was almost covered with beads of sweat.

"I have to go." Nick pulled away from her.

"Be careful, Daddy." Julie's voice sounded so small, Nick almost changed his mind. But the doctor's voice echoed in his head, reminding Nick what he had to lose.

And Julie was the only thing in his life that he could not – and would not – bear to lose.

* * *

_**Twenty-one hours later…**_

"Julie? Everything okay?"

Vivian, one of the nurses in the hospital, entered the room and smiled at the girl.

Julie smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay Vivian. Thanks. Has my daddy called yet?"

"No sweetie, he hasn't," Vivian replied, and Julie noticed the nurse's expression seemed to light up at the mention of Nick. "But don't worry, I'll tell you the moment he does."

"Thanks," Julie said, and Vivian left. Julie scratched her arm and closed her eyes. She could feel the medicine taking effect, and she was getting groggy. Suddenly she heard screaming, as well as a series of loud thuds.

"Vivian?" Julie tried to sit up, but she ended up sinking back down on the bed. The screams continued, and were joined with growls that gave Julie goosebumps. She could hear people running past her room, and she called out for Vivian, a doctor…_anyone_.

Nobody came.

It was then when Julie heard her door creak open, as well as the sound of someone breathing heavily. A figure was standing in the doorway, its arms held away from its sides.

"Vivian?" Julie called, but the figure didn't respond. "Vivian, what's going on?"

Julie's vision blurred even further, and she felt herself slipping into a medicine-induced sleep. Before she could, however, the figure launched itself at her with an angry growl and clawed at her. Julie screamed and tried fighting the figure off, which felt cold to the touch.

"Get off!" Julie shook her head and pushed with all her might, but the figure was too strong. Julie could feel blood gushing from the many wounds the figure was inflicting on her, and her thoughts immediately went to her dad.

_Keep my daddy safe_, she thought. _Stay safe daddy, stay safe_.

And then the world went black.

The Witch hopped off the little girl, her claws dripping with blood. Prior to becoming a Special Infected, the Witch was once known as Vivian, a nurse who worked in the hospital.

As the Green Flu flowed through her system, Vivian had stumbled to Julie's room, hoping she could somehow warn the girl about the zombies that were in the building.

Unfortunately the virus had taken a hold of her just as she twisted the doorknob open and, infuriated at the presence of a nearby human, had attacked the girl.

The Witch, realizing what she had done, stopped her attack and ran out of the room, holding her head in her hands and sobbing uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, the girl The Witch had just attacked lay in bed, unaware that the wounds were slowly healing due to the virus that now ravaged her system.

Within minutes, the wounds had healed, but were marked by several long gashes against the girl's now pale skin. Her fingernails elongated into sharp claws, tearing into the bed sheets. The only thing that remained unchanged was the girl's long, dark hair, and the locket that still hung on her neck.

* * *

**Author's Note: I know that there is a huge possibility that Nick is a Carrier, and since the immunity to the Green Flu virus is passed down from the father's side, you may wonder why Julie was Infected with the Witch strain if her dad was immune in the first place.**

**Of course it's very possible that Nick isn't Julie's biological dad. But they don't know that yet, do they? ;)**


	2. Stranded

**Stranded**

Survivors

Nick looked out over the Savannah skyline, feeling his heart sink as he watched the army helicopter fly away from the building he was on.

He was five minutes too late. _Five freaking minutes._

Nick felt like punching the nearby wall, cursing himself for his slowness. Maybe if he hadn't taken the stairs he would have been in the chopper, flying away from the godforsaken city. Maybe if he hadn't stopped to splash water on his face back at the motel room he had been staying in, he would have made it in time.

Nick had arrived in Savannah a few hours ago, and was quickly able to raise the amount he needed to pay for Julie's heart surgery. Unfortunately he was unable to travel back to Florida after CEDA announced that all flights had been cancelled on account of the outbreak. Nick had pocketed his winnings on the inside of his jacket and headed to the nearest evac center, which was at the building he was on now.

"That chopper looks like it's headed to the evac center at the mall."

Nick turned and saw one of the three other people Nick had met on the stairwell: a lean, muscular boy who was wearing dirty jeans and a baseball cap. A jacket was tied around the boy's waist, and he had a faded yellow shirt.

"I know that place, it's not far from here." This time it was a chubby, dark-skinned man who spoke. "I can take you there."

"Yeah, sure. Could we hurry up though? This building we're on? I think it's on fire," Nick said sarcastically, following the two towards a table that had first aid kits, a couple of crowbars, an axe, and P220 pistols. Nick chose the latter, preferring to feel guns in his hands instead of a measly axe or a crowbar.

Nick went back into the stairwell, where his third companion, a pretty, dark-skinned female, was waiting. She had an axe in her hands, while a first aid kit was strapped to her back.

"We need to get out of the building," she said as Nick approached.

"Agreed. I told those two to hurry the hell up."

Nick had noted that the hotel, named The Vannah, had erupted into flames. Nick certainly wasn't about to burn to death in some hicktown hotel.

The two other men joined Nick and the woman, and they made their way down the stairs. Nick opened the metal door and stepped into the hallway.

"Are these things zombies?" the boy in the baseball cap exclaimed, shooting at several sickly-looking things that were coughing up blood or leaning against the wall.

Nick didn't stop and ask questions; he simply raised his pistols and fired. His companions entered a room on the right side of the hallway, which looked like it had been used as a base of operations.

A map was spread out on a large table, and Nick's blood ran cold as he saw that most of the east coast was covered in X's, including Florida.

_Julie_, Nick thought. _I have to get to her_.

"Looks like the only safe zone in the area is in New Orleans!" the chubby man said, peering over Nick's shoulder.

"Ah great," Nick muttered. He hated New Orleans; he had had a gambling rival group in the city. He supposed they wouldn't be too happy to see him; _if _they survived the outbreak, that is.

The group made their way out of the room after snagging several choice items, and Nick tried to keep his cool. Every so often the boy in the baseball cap tried to make small conversation, but Nick became too wrapped up in his thoughts to actually listen what the boy was saying.

Just before they rounded the corner, the Survivor group heard a loud bellow, and seconds later something large crashed into the woman, slamming her against the wall.

"Shoot it!" she screamed, as the Charger lifted her in the air. It smashed her onto the floor, and they all heard a sickening thud as her body collided with the concrete.

Nick emptied two full clips into the Charger's back, but it was the boy's axe swing that finally killed the Special Infected. Nick moved forward to help the woman up and she thanked him.

"No problem, sweetie," Nick answered, and the group made their way down the hallway.

"Fire escape up ahead!" the chubby man announced, pointing to the metal door a few feet from them. The Survivors moved forward, but before they could get past two vending machines, the ceiling caved in.

"Ah, tits!" Nick exclaimed with a frown. The group was forced to enter the supply room, which was right beside the vending machines. It was here where Nick managed to get a bottle of pain pills, which he strapped to his leg.

The supply room had two glass windows that led onto the ledge of the building. Two of the first hotel rooms were on fire, but the third one was relatively fire free. Nick shot at a zombie wearing a bright yellow hazmat suit while the two other men killed the remaining zombies in the room.

The woman opened the door and stepped out onto the hallway, but she rushed back in as a Spitter shot a gob of green acid at her.

"This stuff burns!" she cried, jumping onto the chest of drawers in an attempt to avoid the acid.

Nick stepped back and watched as the acid sizzled on the floor for several seconds before finally dissipating. "Let's go."

The Spitter was waiting for them in the hallway, and Nick fired several shots before it fell to the floor. "Got it!"

"Alright, you on it!" the chubby man said, grinning at Nick. Nick smirked and walked down the hallway, checking the last two rooms for any zombies. After killing a zombie that was pounding on the door, the Survivors proceeded to the fire exit.

There were five more Infected in the stairwell, which the boy in the yellow shirt killed by chopping the tops of their scalps off. Nick stepped over the bodies, while the woman gave a disgusted noise.

"The world's going to hell," Nick murmured.

The hallway on the next floor was blocked by a large fire, and the Survivors ducked into one of the hotel rooms. Like before, they used the ledge to enter another supply room. Nick used the butt of his pistol to break the glass and jumped inside, shooting a zombie point blank in the face.

Nick knew he was functioning purely on force of habit: he found an enemy, aimed his gun, and fired. He couldn't think straight, couldn't think of anything else but Julie.

_She was right_, he thought with a stab of guilt. _I never should have left her_.

But Nick knew he had no time to feel regret over his past actions. He needed to focus on staying alive, reaching New Orleans, and finding a way to get to Florida to retrieve his daughter.

Never mind that she was in the middle of the city, inside a possibly heavily infested building. He just _had_ to get to her.

There was no other alternative.

The elevator lobby was teeming with zombies, but the woman solved their problem by flinging a bottle of Boomer bile, causing most of the Infected in the area to rush into the green cloud. This gave Nick and the woman the chance to pick off the zombies one at a time using their pistols, while their two companions checked the elevators.

"This one still works!" the chubby man reported.

"Technically, you're not supposed to use an elevator in a fire," Nick quipped. "But that may not apply during a zombie apocalypse."

The boy in the baseball cap pressed the button for the ground floor once they were all in. "Holy shit, is this some sorta nightmare? Goddamn zombie apocalypse and shit. Shit shit shit. What the hell are we gonna do?"

"Settle down son, we'll think of something," the chubby man reassured him. "You all did good. What are your names?"

"Ellis. My name's Ellis," the boy replied.

"Name's Rochelle, you?" The woman turned to Nick, who slid two new clips into his pistols.

"Name's Nick, but don't bother learning it because I don't plan on sticking around long." Nick snapped the safeties off and pointed the pistols towards the door.

"Let's just stick together a little while longer, okay Nick?" the chubby man said, and Nick shrugged non-committally. "My friends call me Coach. I guess you all can do the same." Coach smiled at them all. "We just keep our cool, and we'll be okay."

Nick wanted to believe Coach, but a part of him knew that it wouldn't be easy getting to New Orleans.

The elevator shuddered and then ground to a halt. Seconds later an alarm sounded.

"Man, I just bet there's a welcome party waiting for us." Ellis gripped his axe, which has several blood smears and strips of flesh.

"We need to pry this thing open," Coach grunted. Nick and Ellis slung their weapons on their backs and helped Coach slide the elevator doors open.

As the doors slid open, they all saw that the lobby was a raging inferno, and Nick sighed. It was then when he spotted several silenced submachine guns on the ground.

"This will even the odds!" Nick declared, hurrying over to the weapon pile and picking one up. Nick checked the clip and waited as the zombie horde flowed down the hallway. While the fire was keeping the Survivors from getting out, it also set most of the zombies alight. Nick, Ellis, Coach, and Rochelle made short work of the horde, and Nick slapped a fresh clip into the gun while Rochelle and Coach ducked inside the nearby security room, where they found two shotguns and a first aid kit.

The Survivors didn't bother staying long and managed to find their way into the kitchen, where they leaped over a metal preparation table and wound their way to the other end, where another door greeted them. From here they skirted past the fire, shooting several idle Infected.

"Front desk!" Nick called, and he and Rochelle sprinted forward.

It was then when a Jockey appeared, cackling as it leaped onto Nick's shoulders and pulled him further into the main lobby.

"Get this thing off me!" Nick yelled, clawing at the Jockey's legs. The skin felt tough and rough under his fingers, and the Jockey's toenails were digging painfully into his shoulders. The Common Infected clawed at Nick as the Jockey rode him towards the other zombies.

As the Jockey forced Nick to turn around, he saw Ellis kill the zombies that were crowding around him, while Coach and Rochelle fire at the Special Infected.

_How long does it take to kill this goddamn thing?_ Nick thought with annoyance, finally feeling the Jockey slip lifeless off his back.

"Now that ain't right for a man to be ridden like that," Coach muttered, staring at the Jockey, which was now lying on the ground. "Come on Nick, let's get you patched up."

"I'm fine." Nick took the bottle of pain pills and gulped them down dry. "Now to find me some real first aid."

Rochelle and Ellis were halfway to the safe room when a Boomer waddled into view, spewing green bile at them.

"Yeeeech! What is this stuff?" Rochelle killed the Boomer, which exploded in a satisfying burst of blood, guts, and Boomer bile.

"Man I don't like the way this smells!" Ellis exclaimed. The howl of an Infected horde rose up, attracted by the smell of the bile that was dripping down Rochelle and Ellis's bodies.

"Get in the goddamn safe room!" Nick hollered at Coach, who had doubled back to snag a pipe bomb. The horde flowed into the area just as Coach reached the safe room. Nick kicked the door closed, while Ellis slammed a metal bar over it.

"That was close," Ellis breathed in relief. "But we definitely kicked their asses!"

Is he even aware of how much shit we are in? Nick tried not to glare at Ellis, who was now saying he knew of a nearby gun store. Nick never trusted anyone on principle, but if he had to endure the same thing just to get to the mall, he knew he wouldn't make it far.

"I guess living here is finally paying off," Nick quipped, reaching for some ammunition for his gun.

"Mister, I don't think I like your attitude." Coach frowned at Nick, who shrugged.

"Whatever. Listen, I'm going to make it all worth your while if you get me to the mall."

_And to New Orleans_, he added silently. _Hang on, Julie. Daddy's coming_.

* * *

Infected

_+ Hey, has she woken up yet? _

A hooded figure peeked inside one of the hospital rooms, saw the girl lying on the bed, still as stone, and looked at the two figures standing behind him.

_* Not yet. But she will. I can hear her heart slowing down. _

_- Man, this sucks. How long does it take for her to turn? Vance, come on! Let's just leave her!_

_* Adrian, she's a kid. Plus she's one of us, and we don't leave our kind behind._

_- You're a self-righteous prick; you do know that, right Vance?_

_* Face it. We need all the help we can get. _

_- Well how do you even know she's gonna be like us?_

_* I'm going to talk to her first, of course. If she says gibberish just like the others, then we'll leave her. You two stay near the doors. Don't want no Survivors coming up behind us and shooting our asses._

_+ Funny how we became sorted into two major groups, huh? What do they call me again? A Smoker?_

_* Yep, Carter. You're a Smoker. I'm a Hunter._

_- Sheesh, why couldn't I be the freaking Hunter? Instead I get stuck as a Jockey!_

_+ Probably because you used to hump everything when you were still human._

_- Well fuck you, Carter!_

_* Quiet!_

The three figures listened carefully. One figure reached out a skinny and slightly crooked arm and poked the hooded figure in the back.

_- Get going!_

The hooded figure turned sharply and bared its teeth.

_* Stop poking me in the back, Adrian!_

_+ Just go for it, Vance. Worst case scenario is she tries to kill you._

_* That makes me feel a lot better, Carter. Okay go, I'll handle this._

The two figures turned and walked down the hospital hallway, which was now decorated with blood smears, guts, and corpses. The hooded figure waited for a few more seconds.

And then the sobs began.

* * *

**Author's Note: Since the Infected would be communicating telepathically for most of the fanfic, I used certain symbols to help you guys distinguish who's speaking.**

***: That's for Vance, the Hunter**

**+: That's for Carter, the Smoker**

**-: That's for Adrian, the Jockey**

**and**

**#: That's for Julie, the Witch**

**Thanks for reading the story and giving me feedback! :D**


	3. A New World

**Author's Note: Thank you, Deadly-Ace-of-Spades, for being my beta reader! :)**

**A New World**

Infected

The first thing that Julie heard as she regained consciousness was this strange hissing noise.

_Maybe Daddy forgot to switch off the tea kettle again_, Julie thought. _He always left it boiling on the stove_.

Julie's eyes opened, but instead of seeing the sick yellow wallpaper of her room in the small house she and her dad were renting, she saw the light green walls of her hospital room.

_Right, I'm in the hospital_, Julie remembered. _And wasn't I…wasn't I attacked_?

The memory of seeing the hellish creature before passing out and feeling a sharp stabbing pain came back to her and she flinched. When she realized that she was alone in the room, Julie groaned slightly and stood up, raising her hand to her face.

"Where am I?" Julie tried to say, but all that she heard was a loud screech.

_Was that me_? Julie blinked, stared at her hand, and gave a blood-curdling scream. Her once slightly tan hand was now pale and her thin fingers elongated into sharp, pointy claws. A sudden wave of emotion passed through her, and she began crying.

_Why are my fingers like this? Why is my skin pale? Where's my daddy?_ Julie thought, as she sank to the floor, put her head in her hands, and rocked back and forth, sobbing.

Julie hardly ever cried – a trait that she seemed to have inherited from Nick – and to cry uncontrollably was new to her. But the more she thought of her freakish appearance, the more Julie felt like crying.

_How did I become a freak? Where is everyone? Has the outbreak reached here? Have I been Infected?_

More questions filled Julie's mind, but still she continued to rock back and forth, tears slipping down her cheeks. Suddenly her ears picked up a familiar noise: that of people whispering furiously amongst themselves.

The sounds grew louder, and Julie frowned.

_Are they talking about me? Do they like seeing me cry?_ she thought with a flash of irritation. As soon as the thought entered her mind, Julie saw the outlines of four people standing a few feet away from her.

Julie gasped and whipped her head up, growling.

"Witch!" one of the people hissed, and the three others raised their guns. For some reason this pissed Julie off to no end, and she slowly got to her feet, her growls getting louder.

_Get away from me!_ Julie wanted to say, but again all she could hear was a loud screech. The people slowly slid past the open doorway, their guns aimed at her. Julie heard them move further away from her room – one of them even broke into a run – and she slowly calmed down, sitting down on the floor one more.

It was only then when Julie realized she could have asked them for help, and again Julie felt sobs rack her body. The crying seemed like an automatic response; it didn't take a lot to set her off.

_I could have asked them for help_, Julie thought, rocking back and forth. _They could have helped me figure out what's happening to me_.

_You've mutated_, an unfamiliar voice inside her head said.

Julie gasped, snapping her head up. _Who's there?_

* _Um, promise me you won't tear me to pieces first_.

# _I promise_.

A man stepped into the room. He was wearing a dirty navy blue jacket, jeans, and olive green shoes. The hood of his jacket was over his head, but Julie could see a set of sharp teeth and grayish skin. Julie stood up, her eyes never leaving the man's face.

As freakish as this guy was, Julie could sense that he wouldn't hurt her. Even if he did, she had these really sharp claws. She certainly wasn't planning on going down without a fight.

* _Hey, my name's Vance. I'm, uh, I guess you could say I'm a bit like you_.

# _And what am I, exactly? I mean I woke up like…like this_!

Julie gestured to her body, accidentally ripping the hospital gown she was wearing. With an angry cry, Julie tossed the garment aside, to reveal the white tank top and panties that she had been wearing underneath.

Vance tilted his head down and then back up.

* _Now don't freak out, but you're…we've been Infected. You know the Green Flu virus? The one that they've been broadcasting on the news?_

Julie nodded.

* _Well we have it. Except I think we were able to mutate the virus or something. I'm not sure how it works exactly; I wasn't really good at science. The thing is, we're zombies_.

# _If we are, then why don't we look alike?_

* _The virus has different effects on different people. I heard that some people are immune; they're called Carriers. Those who aren't either become Common or Special Infected. We're the latter_.

# _Oh wow, I _really _feel special_.

Vance smiled.

_*Special Infected have other classifications too. There's Hunters – that's me – Jockeys, Chargers, Spitters, Boomers, Tanks, Smokers, and Witches. You're a Witch._

# _Okay. Thanks for explaining, but how do I get back to being human? I mean look at this_! _Am I supposed to walk around looking like _this?!

Julie held her hands towards Vance, nearly stabbing him in the stomach. The thought of living the rest of her life as a dark-haired freak was enough to send another wave of emotion through her, and Julie nearly sat back down and cried.

But she was prepared this time, and she fought the urge to cry her eyes out. Instead she rested her hand on the bed.

* _Unless someone finds a cure, we're stuck like this forever_.

# _But I need to find my daddy_!

* _Has he been Infected too_?

# _No, he went to Savannah to get money for my surgery_.

* _You won't need one. Hell, I was in here because I broke both my damn legs doing some parkour stunt. Now look at me_!

To demonstrate, Vance crouched and then leapt over the bed, landing gracefully on the other side.

_*Whatever sickness you had before being Infected, it's fixed._

Vance looked completely certain about this, and Julie placed a hand over her chest. She could feel her heartbeat, but it was very, very faint.

_# Okay. Thanks again, Vance. But I'm still going to Savannah._

Vance held both of his hands up.

* _Whoa, hold on. You know how far Savannah is from here?_

# _I don't know and I don't care! My daddy's there! I promised him that I'd go after him if anything happened._

_* Okay, okay. I'll help you._

Julie paused, surprised. She didn't expect someone whom she'd just met offer to help her; usually it was just her and Nick against the "rest of the goddamn world." Vance looked at her, as if waiting for her to reply.

Finally Julie smiled.

_* Okay now that is one creepy ass smile._

_# Huh?_

Julie walked over to the mirror, seeing her pale face for the first time. She still had her black hair, but she had red eyes, white-grey skin, and a hollow, hungry appearance. Julie smiled at her reflection, noting that she looked like one of those Asian ghost girls in the horror movies she liked to watch.

_# I see what you mean. Thanks for offering to help me, Vance. I normally don't trust people on principle._

_* Why?_

_# I dunno. It's just been me and my daddy for as long as I can remember. I just want to make sure he's okay._

_* Don't worry Julie. Me and a couple of other friends will help you find your daddy. I'm sure he's okay and fighting his way to get here._

Julie nodded. Vance gestured at her to follow him, and she did. Julie knew she should put on some clothes – what would her dad say if he learned that she traveled to Savannah wearing only a tank top and a pair of panties? – but she felt rather feverish, so she decided to forego wearing a jacket and jeans.

_# Vance?_

_* Yeah?_

_# Are the other Infected just like us? Can we talk to them?_

Vance shook his head.

_* Only a few are like us. Most of them have lost all sense of logic and their humanity. Believe me, I've tried talking to them. They just stand there. Dunno why we were spared, but hey, I'm not complaining._

Julie nodded. She was conscious of how her hands swung at her sides. The claws were heavy and she had a hard time wiggling her fingers. Every so often she hit her claws against the wall, leaving long scratches. Once she even stabbed herself on the thigh.

The hospital was full of corpses, both of Infected and humans, and there was hardly a room that didn't have any blood smears on the walls.

_# I feel like I want to puke._

_* Don't. That's the Boomer's job._

Julie looked at Vance, confused.

_# I don't think I even want to know what you're talking about._

Vance gave a series of short screeches, which Julie took for laughter. As they reached the main lobby, Vance suddenly dropped to a crouch, snarling.

Another Hunter came into view. Upon seeing Vance, the Hunter crouched as well, baring its teeth. Unlike Vance, this Hunter had bloody teeth and hands. Vance continued snarling, and Julie wondered if the two were going to fight.

_'Hey, calm down!'_ Julie tried to say, but what came out of her mouth was a pitchy wail. The other Hunter raised its head, looked at Julie, and leapt away.

_* Whoa, you scared him._

Vance sounded in awe. Julie tried not to smile, and her mouth formed a smirk instead.

_# Why did the two of you crouch?_

_* Eh. It's like we have this weird territorial instinct. Although I was here before that asshole, he tried claiming this spot for his own. Kinda complicated._

_# It's fine. At least you're not pissing on your territory to mark it._

_* Yeah. There is that. Come on._

As Julie followed Vance out of the hospital and onto the ravaged streets, she wondered what her daddy was doing.

_'Hang in there, Daddy',_ Julie thought. '_I'm coming.'_

* * *

Survivors

"Why the hell did you shoot the Boomer?" Nick demanded angrily.

Their trek through the city had been uneventful enough, but things took a turn for the worse after Ellis accidentally shot a Boomer that was a few feet away from him. He became covered in disgusting Boomer bile, which summoned a horde.

The Infected rushed at the four Survivors, who barely managed to deal with the steady flow of zombies that came from the street below them.

After the last zombie had been shot, Nick rounded on Ellis.

"If you do that again, I will bury you alive," he said, scowling.

"Leave him alone, Nick." Rochelle shot the conman a warning look. "He didn't mean it."

Nick grumbled under his breath and turned away. They were wasting time; Julie could be in danger.

_'In danger? Am I fucking kidding myself? She's in a hospital, which happens to be in the midst of an overrun city!'_ Nick griped silently.

He followed the three other Survivors down to the street; they jumped down on the roof of a trailer that was positioned close to the overpass, and then down onto the street.

"How far is it from the goddamn mall?" Nick asked Coach as they came to a flight of stairs. "Also, how far are we from the gun store Ellis told us about?"

"Just a few more feet. I can smell the guns from here!"

"Huh. I thought you could only smell food."

Coach frowned. "Getcho ass movin', Nick!"

Nick smirked and caught up with Rochelle, who was slapping her braid. "Coach give you some lip?"

"Yeah. What's with the tapping?" Nick glanced at Rochelle's tight braid. "Your girlfriends tie your hair too tight?"

"It's my new weave. I knew I shouldn't have asked them to braid it," Rochelle answered.

Nick shrugged. He didn't know much about women's hairstyles; he hardly accompanied his ex-wives to the beauty parlor. The only time he stepped inside a salon was when he and Julie needed haircuts. Even then Julie chose simple hairstyles, like curly layers.

The thought of Julie lying in her hospital room, vulnerable and at the mercy of any Infected that happened to come across her, made Nick's throat tighten with emotion.

_'Pull yourself together,' _he told himself._ 'Just get to New Orleans, and you'll get to her.'_

Just as the Survivors reached the set of stairs that would lead them to another overpass, they heard a sound they never expected to hear in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

The sound of a girl crying.


	4. Whitaker's Gun Shop

**Whitaker's Gun Shop**

Survivors

The crying broke the relative silence of the area, and the Survivors looked at each other. It was the first human sound they'd heard since the outbreak started, and they wondered if it came from a fellow Survivor.

"Come on, let's see what's goin' on," Ellis urged, going up the flight of steps. "Hey! It's a girl!"

"Huh?" Coach followed the mechanic and saw a pale, skinny girl with shoulder-length white blonde hair standing just beside a pile of corpses.

Nick and Rochelle joined them a few seconds later, and the conman's eyes widened when he saw the girl.

"Must be cryin' 'cause that's her family," Ellis decided. "I'm gonna go help her."

Rochelle nodded, while Nick and Coach glanced at the girl before checking the surrounding area for any infected. Ellis approached the girl slowly, noticing that she seemed rather tense.

"Hey there, you okay?" Ellis said as he reached out to the girl. To his surprise, the girl started growling and dropped her hands, which she had been holding against her head, to her sides.

It was then when Ellis saw that the girl had long, sharp, bloody claws, and that small bits of flesh were hanging down some of the tips.

"Oh shit."

The Witch continued growling, even as Ellis slowly backed away. The mechanic had trained his auto shotgun at her, his finger poised above the trigger.

"Ellis stop pissing that thing off!" Coach hissed.

Ellis gulped and continued backing away from the girl. Once he had reached a safe distance, the Witch went back to her original position and continued sobbing.

"How do we get past it?" Nick frowned; the Witch was slowly moving away from them, towards the gun shop. "It's obvious that she isn't a Survivor."

"What if we all run past her really, really fast?" Rochelle suggested. "I saw that she doesn't like it when people move too close to her."

Coach nodded. "Worth a shot. Those guns are just a stone's throw from here. Let's go."

Nick and the others quickly moved past the Witch. She gave a loud gasp as Ellis rushed past her and was growling by the time Nick and Rochelle reached her. Nick could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he tried not to look behind him as the Witch's growls became screeches.

"Come on, come on, come on," Coach murmured. "Almost there."

Nick and Rochelle reached the end of the overpass and flew down the stairs. Several idle Infected were near the entrance to the gun shop, which they took out with relative ease. Ellis wrenched the door open and stepped inside.

"I have never seen this many guns in my entire life," Ellis breathed. Nick found it ironic, considering that the boy was a Southerner. Didn't they keep gun stashes like this in their homes?

"I'm going with the rifle," Nick announced, picking up an M-16 assault rifle from the display.

"Laser sights!" Rochelle gestured to several metal containers that were on top of a wooden crate; she had attached a laser sight to her AK-47.

"This is like putting a cherry on top of a nice hot fudge sundae," Coach said, attaching a laser sight to his combat shotgun.

Ellis was going around the displays, looking at the other side firearms that were on sale.

"D'ya think we should leave some money for these?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Nick shrugged. "I have no problem taking this. I bet the owner's lying in a pool of his own blood. He certainly wouldn't mind us getting these guns."

"Hello there."

The Survivors jumped. They weren't expecting to hear a stranger's voice, let alone a disembodied one.

"Come over to the intercom so I can talk to you folks," the voice, it sounded male, continued.

Rochelle spotted the light gray box mounted on the wall and pressed the red button. "Hello?"

"Well hello. My name's Whitaker. I own this establishment."

"See? Told ya we should leave some money." Ellis grinned and Nick rolled his eyes.

"I've got a proposition for y'all. I'm gonna let you keep the guns and even help you get to the mall, if you get me a six-pack cola. Got enough food and guns and bullets to last me here a long time, but hell, I ain't got the drinks," Whitaker said. "There's a convenience store nearby, and I just bet they still have some cola left."

"So let me get this straight. We get you your shit, and you'll help us get to the mall," Nick clarified.

There was a pause, and Nick could imagine the man nodding. "Yeah, I will."

"I'll agree to the idea, but you'd better not be screwing with us," Nick warned. "Otherwise I am killing you with your own gun."

"As my word as a gentleman, I will do no screwing," Whitaker promised.

Nick ignored the shocked expressions on the other Survivors' faces and went up the stairs. It led to a small storage complex (Whitaker's room was on the right of the stairs, while there were three more storage rooms to the left) that overlooked a Save 4 Less supermarket. Just beyond the building was the mall. A huge tanker blocked the road, and Nick guessed that Whitaker would blow the tanker once they gave him the goddamn cola.

"Who's goin' ta get the cola?" Ellis asked as he joined Nick.

Nick shrugged. "Guess it's going to have to be me."

Nick never really volunteered, but hey, if getting some guy's cola was going to help him get to the evac center, he'd be glad to do it. Besides, Nick didn't trust the others to do the thing right.

Nick walked past the other rooms and jumped down on one of the plant boxes. As his feet hit the concrete, he spotted a pipe bomb lying close to an overturned shopping cart. In one fluid motion, Nick snagged the pipe bomb and made his way to the supermarket.

"I think that's going to sound an alarm if we open it," Rochelle said, coming up behind the conman.

"We got no choice. Okay. I'm getting the cola." Nick kicked the doors open, activating a very loud - and very annoying - alarm. Nick rushed inside the supermarket, looking for the drinks section. "Why is it always at the back?"

Coach and Rochelle stayed near the doors, firing at the horde that had been attracted by the alarm. Ellis followed Nick inside, stopping briefly to replenish his ammo on the small ammo pile that had been placed on one of the counters.

"I got the cola!" Nick announced, spotting a six pack on the ground. Ellis nodded and followed him out. Coach and Rochelle were dealing with an ever increasing horde, and the two yelled as a Spitter launched a pool of green acid at them.

"Move!" Rochelle exclaimed, nearly shoving Ellis out of the way. While they waited for the acid to dissipate, the Survivors mowed down the zombies. Their bullets pierced through gray, mottled flesh and caused heads and limbs to explode in a gory fountain of blood. Some of their shots were powerful enough to throw the zombies into the air, where they landed to the ground with a loud thud.

"Acid's gone, people! Let's bring the cola!" Coach ran out of the supermarket, shooting at the Infected that were running towards him.

Nick, Ellis, and Rochelle ran after him, the former eventually overtaking the others. He didn't pause to shoot any of the zombies, nor did he look back as a Charger rammed into Coach and started pounding the man to the ground. All Nick wanted to do was to get the cola to Whitaker, so that they could get out of this goddamn place.

"Shoot this thing!" Coach cried, his voice nearly drowned out by the Charger's roars.

_'We're going to need him_,' Nick thought. '_Save his ass, you idiot.'_

Nick hesitated, his foot on the first step. "Ah shit." He set the six pack down on the ground and ran back, firing his assault rifle at the Charger. Ellis and Rochelle were soon on the scene, their guns blazing. The Charger finally fell, and Nick could see that Coach looked pretty banged up.

"Let's get you up," Nick said, hauling Coach to his feet.

"They beat me pretty good," Coach admitted. He took out his first aid kit and dabbed medicine on his wounds, while Nick and Ellis hurried to get the cola.

"Put the cola in the slot!" Whitaker exclaimed. Nick did so, and a few seconds later they heard the soft hiss of a rocket launcher. The tanker was blasted apart, and Ellis cheered. "Let's get to the mall!"

The Survivors stayed long enough to replenish their bullets - Coach picked up a first aid kit - and left.

"May God bless you," Nick heard Whitaker say as they jumped back down onto the parking lot.

_'Yeah, we're going to need it.'_

* * *

Infected

Vance turned his head this way and that, looking for Adrian and Carter. The Smoker and Jockey were nowhere to be found, but Vance knew they were here somewhere. He had picked up small snatches of the conversation the two were having. Vance found it interesting that their telepathic abilities worked similar to walkie talkies; it became more powerful as he came close to a Special Infected.

Of course it was only a theory, since Vance had only tested it with Carter and Adrian. Vance didn't know how many people who had been turned into Special Infected were able to retain their sense of humanity and sanity, but so far he had only met three.

The first one he had encountered was a Witch, but she simply growled at him instead of responding to his questions. The next one was a fellow Hunter, who nearly attacked Vance.

After that, he met Adrian and Carter, two former patients in the hospital. Adrian had told Vance that there was another Witch in the hospital, and Vance decided to check on her, despite his previous experiences.

Now he was glad he did; Julie had mutated into the strongest Special Infected (with the exception of the Tank), and she certainly would come in handy in keeping the other zombies from attacking them.

# _Why did you offer to help me?_

Vance turned towards Julie, who was standing awkwardly a few feet behind him.

* _Dunno. I guess it's because I don't have anything better to do. Traveling to New Orleans sure beats leaping from one building to another._

Julie nodded, as if she thought that made sense.

# _Thanks, Vance. I kinda don't know how to get to Savannah, to be honest._

* _Let's see if we can find a map. I may not have a college diploma, but I was able to travel to several states because of my hobby. Not New Orleans, though._

# _What did you do before the outbreak?_

* _I was a parkour enthusiast. You know, those guys who do different stunts all over the city just for fun?_

# _Wow. Sounds really complicated and dangerous._

* _Yeah, I had my share of broken bones. That's how I landed in the hospital in the first place. Broke both my legs because I underestimated the distance from the window to the street._

Julie smirked.

* _What about you? What did you and your dad do?_

# _I'm a kid. I was going to go to middle school, but then daddy's business forced us to move. We travel a lot._

Vance glanced at Julie, wondering if she was telling him the truth. He let it slide; after all, who cared who you were before the outbreak, anyway?


	5. Welcome to the Family

**Welcome to the Family**

Infected

Vance found Adrian and Carter hiding behind a dumpster. According to them, they were nearly killed by a group of Survivors (the name that the Infected gave those lucky humans who weren't affected by the Green Flu Virus) because Adrian tried going up to them and asking if they understood what he was saying.

_- I wanted to know if they understood 'Infected Speak'! _

+ _Well they can't, apparently._

- _Hey I tried, okay?_

+ _Maybe you should've resisted the urge to jump on the girl's back._

- _Well...she _was_ hot._

+ _I knew it. You and your over horniness are going to land us in hot water someday._

- _Shut up._

* _Guys!_

- _Hehey, Vance! So, how's...whoa._

Adrian noticed Julie standing beside Vance, and his mouth dropped open.

- _Vance, you didn't tell me she was hot. Ow!_

Carter had smacked Adrian on the back of his head, and the Jockey rubbed the sore spot grumpily.

+ _She's a _kid_, Adrian. Hi, I'm Carter, and this is Adrian, the resident goofball._

- _Hey. _Adrian waved a large hand with skinny and knobbly fingers.

# _Hi. I'm Julie. _Julie raised her hand as well, showing them her long claws.

Adrian and Carter's eyes widened, and the former even took a step back.

- _Okay those look dangerous._

# _Um, yeah. I haven't tried these out yet. I did scratch myself a few times, though._

Vance held up one hand before Adrian or Carter could say anything else. _* Okay, here's the deal. Guys, Julie needs to get to Savannah to find her dad. I said I was going to help her. Are you guys in or not?_

Adrian shrugged and rocked on the balls of his heels. Julie noticed that he seemed rather fidgety, and that he always clapped his hands over his mouth to muffle a giggle. Carter, on the other hand, kept coughing and throwing his tongue over his shoulder like some disgusting, greyish pink scarf.

# _So what do they call you guys?_

- _I'm a Jockey. I heard one of those Survivors call me a back humper. Dang it._

* _Well that's pretty accurate. You did tell us how much you liked sex when you were human._

- _Can I help it if I'm handsome?_

+ _Yeah, you _were_. Now you look like some freakish baboon with that stupid grin of yours. And don't get me started on the laugh._

- _At least I laugh. What do you do, Carter? Cough? I bet that's going to make you very popular with the ladies._

* _He's a Smoker. _Vance jerked his head towards Carter as he leaned towards Julie.

# _My daddy likes to smoke too. He thinks I don't know, but I always find his secret stash._

+ _A kindred spirit. So what's your story, Julie?_

* _First things first. Let's go to that store over there and see if we can find a road map. You can tell your stories while we walk, can't you?_

It was obvious that Vance was the de facto leader of the group, because Adrian and Carter followed him without question. Julie told them that she was twelve, that she was in the hospital because of her heart problem, and that stayed with her dad, Nick. When she told them that her dad was a gambler, Adrian became visibly interested.

- _So he wins every time?_

# _Well, almost. He does have his off days._

- _But still, to win a hundred thousand in one go...I bet you two had a great Christmas._

# _Yeah, it was. _Julie smiled at the memory.

Adrian then told her about himself - Vance and Carter had heard his story before and, according to them, were sick to death of it - and his life before the outbreak. He was a college student from Pennsylvania who had gone to Florida to visit a girl he had met while browsing an online dating site. Unfortunately he had come down with pneumonia after one of the girl's friends had double dared him to jump into the girl's swimming pool naked.

- _Man, the next day I was shaking like a vibrator._

+ _Adrian, can you think of another comparison? She's a kid._

- _Oh yeah, right. Sorry. Like a chihuahua that hasn't crapped in weeks, then. I was shaking like a chihuahua that hasn't crapped in weeks. So, anyway..._

While Vance and Carter searched the cash register and magazine racks for a road map, Adrian told Julie about how his friends called him the Loki of the literature department in the University of Pennsylvania, because he loved pulling pranks on everyone. One of his most memorable pranks was when he dressed up as a professor and entered a freshman literature class, where he begun discussing the works of the Marquis de Sade. Eventually the real professor showed up, but not before Adrian assigned the freshmen to read sexual passages from "Justine" out loud.

- _Best prank ever. They never caught me._

# _Is that how you spend most of your time?_

Adrian nodded. _- Pretty much, yeah. That's what I miss most about being human: playing pranks and meeting girls. Now I'm like some shitty Quasimodo with Jack Nicholson's grin. It's irritating._

* _Got the road map!_

Vance pulled a map of the eastern states and laid it on the floor. Carter, Adrian, and Julie crowded around it.

* _We can take a truck and use the interstate to drive all the way to Savannah. Or...hey, you think Patrick's still around?_

+ _You mean that Tank? Why? You want to ask him if he can carry us all the way to Savannah? You crazy?_

* _Well it's been almost two days since Julie last saw her dad. I think we should board the Infected Express. Sure beats driving a truck. Why have these Infected superpowers if we can't even use them once in a while?_

_+ I don't like it._

_- You don't like_ anything_, Carter. I'm all for it! I can sit on Patrick's head!_

+ _Oh I bet he'll love that._

_* I last saw Patrick down in the hospital parking lot. Come on._

The four Infected Survivors left the store and made their way back to the hospital; they skirted around the building instead of going inside.

_# Who's Patrick?_

_* A Tank. He was a football player before the outbreak. We were going to bring him into our little group, but he's a "one-man" Survivor and all that. But he's nice, don't worry._

Adrian snorted. _- Even if he goes all Hulk on us, I bet Julie here can make a nice shish kebab out of that ass.._

_* Hey Patrick!_

_- ...tute example of a Special Infected. Hey Patrick, my man!_

_= Hey. You got your fourth Survivor._

Patrick was huge. While his head looked like it had sunk into his head, the rest of his body was a huge bulk of muscle. Julie felt as if he could easily punch a car or throw large cement blocks without any problem.

_* This is Julie. Julie, Patrick. She's going to Savannah to get her dad._

Patrick grunted. _= Savannah's fallen as well. I don't think your dad survived._

Julie screeched at him, raising her arms.

_+ Whoa, back off Patrick. She's got a mean slash._

Patrick studied Julie carefully before turning to Vance.

_= Let me guess. You want to ask me if I can carry you all the way to Savannah._

_* Well...yes._

Patrick remained silent for a while, mulling things over. His eyes never left Julie, who looked back at him determinedly. Her defiance and determination to reach her dad even though she was Infected must have impressed the Tank, for he agreed.

_= Just to the outskirts. Once you're there, you're all on your own._

_* Thanks Patrick. We won't forget this._

Patrick merely grunted again; Julie thought he sounded like a troll.

Adrian ended up sitting on Patrick's shoulder like a lumpy parrot, while Carter sat on Patrick's other shoulder. Patrick carried Julie in the crook of his arms, and Vance opted to jump alongside the Tank. Before they left, Vance showed Patrick the map, telling the Tank to just follow the interstate. Still, the Hunter kept the map inside his jacket. They might need it later.

_= Don't scratch me with your claws, kid, and I won't drop you._

Julie nodded as she rested her head on the Tank's arm. It felt soft and meaty, and she resisted the urge to cuddle closer to Patrick. She didn't know how fast a Tank could run, and she gave a loud gasp of surprise as Patrick started plowing through the city. Riding in Patrick's arms was like riding a speed train; the buildings and cars soon became a blur. Vance's Hunter speed allowed him to easily keep up with Patrick, and Vance gave Julie a reassuring thumbs up as they reached the interstate.

It was there where Carter told Julie about himself. He was a banker with a smoking problem, and he was in the hospital for a check-up with his doctor. He was also a pessimist, which strongly reminded Julie of her dad.

_# Daddy can be really negative sometimes. I guess it can turn people off, but that's the way he is._

_+ I can relate to that. Seems like he and I are going to get along well._

_- I dunno, Carter. You never get along with anyone._

This time, Carter used his tongue to slap Adrian. The Jockey made a disgusted sound.

_- Ugh, usually I love tongue, but shit, that's just gross._

Julie smirked and looked up at Patrick.

_# What about you, Patrick? Vance told me you used to be a football player._

_= Yeah, I was. Until the damn outbreak hit, I was set to become part of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team. I hate the Green Flu virus. If I find out whoever is responsible for this, I'm going to punch their goddamn lights out._

_- You can always start your own football team, Patrick. I bet there's loads of other Tanks that are like you._

Patrick growled and jostled Julie slightly, causing her to poke Patrick in the chest. The Tank growled even louder, and Julie screeched back at him.

_# I didn't mean to!_

Patrick eyed her critically before turning his gaze back onto the road. Vance was several feet away from them, but then he came leaping back and landing on a car roof.

_* Hey Julie, what do you plan to do when you see your dad?_

_# Give him a really tight hug. Or least something like that._

_* Yeah, well...Julie, the thing is that he may not recognize you._

_# I can talk to him, can't I?_

Vance hesitated. He didn't want to burst Julie's bubble, but he had to be honest with her.

_* Well, we can talk to each other telepathically. I don't think we can do that with the Survivors. Have you ever tried talking to them and getting a response?_

Julie bit her lip. _# Not really. I met this group in the hospital before you came, and I scared them off with my screeching. But I know my daddy's going to recognize me! I just know it!_

_* You've changed your appearance, Julie. You don't look like...well,_ you.

Vance's voice was gentle and soothing, but Julie felt an overwhelming wave of emotion come over her. She tucked her legs under her and started sobbing. Adrian, Carter, and even Patrick looked at her.

_- That is the scariest fucking thing I have ever heard in my entire life._

_+ Adrian!_

_- What? It's true! I'm a zombie and that crying scares the hell out of me!_

_+ But do you have to say it out loud?_

_= Quiet!_

Patrick stopped his steady pace and set Julie down on the ground, where she rocked back and forth, sobbing. Adrian and Carter hopped off Patrick's shoulders and watched as the Tank knelt on the ground, forming cracks on the concrete.

_= Julie, you have to consider the possibility that your dad's not going to recognize you. All Witches look alike; it would be hard to say who's who._

_* Well, she's the only Witch we've seen so far who's got black hair. The others have white blonde hair._

Julie raised her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. _# My daddy will recognize me. I have this._

Julie gestured to her locket, which was still hanging on her neck, and took deep breaths to calm her nerves.

_# Daddy gave this to me when I got sick. If he sees this, he'll know._

Vance looked at the locket and then at Julie. Finally, he smiled.

_* We have nothing to worry about, then. Come on, Julie. Let's get going._

Julie stood up and Patrick nestled her in his arms again. Julie shielded her eyes from the sun, which irritated her eyes.

_- You okay, sweet pea?_

_# The sun hurts my eyes._

_- Huh. I guess that explains why that Witch we saw had her hands over her head._

_+ How long can you leave your eyes uncovered in the sunlight, Julie?_

Julie slowly removed her hand from her eyes. She counted about ten seconds before she was forced to clap her hand over her eyes again.

_# Ten seconds._

_- Hear that guys? We've got ten seconds to make a run for it before Julie here gets pissed._

Julie scowled at Adrian through the spaces between her fingers. As Patrick lumbered down the interstate, Julie felt her heart beat race just a little faster. She sorely hoped her dad wouldn't have to pass through a mall; the last zombie movie she and her daddy watched featured a mall.

None of the people survived.

* * *

Survivors

Nick felt like shooting something.

Based on his experiences since leaving The Vannah, however, Nick knew that thinking about shooting something seemed to serve as a cue for the Infected horde to appear. Nick strafed past a CEDA tent, ignoring the blood stains on the hospital beds and the two corpses of a man and a woman lying on the floor.

"Frag rounds!" Nick called, and Ellis hurriedly picked up the small metal box.

"I'll have these, thanks," Ellis said. Outside the tent Coach and Rochelle were busy picking off the Infected that were standing around the tents.

"Hurry up y'all!" Coach slid two more shells in his combat shotgun. "Jumpin' Jehosaphat! What is that thing?"

_'Ah crap, I knew it_,' Nick thought darkly. He half-expected to hear the telltale wail of the Infected horde, but instead heard a loud roar.

Ellis and Nick darted outside. They saw a large, lumpy Infected that was charging straight at them.

"Oh lordy that's a bigass thing!" Ellis exclaimed, flipping the safety off of his rifle and firing at the Tank. The Tank roared again and waved its arms, finally lumbering towards Nick. The bullets that came from Ellis, Rochelle, and Coach's guns didn't seem to faze the Tank one bit; it just kept on running at Nick.

"SHOOT THE GODDAMN TANK!" Nick shouted, aiming for the Tank's head. Nick's constant barrage angered the Tank, and it wrenched a concrete slab from the road and raised it high. Just before the Tank could throw it at the conman, the Tank finally fell from the Survivors' concentrated fire.

"Whoa. Why'd it go after you, Nick?" Ellis asked in awe. "Must be your suit."

"Ha fucking ha," Nick said dryly.

But Nick had to admit, the Tank's behavior seemed strange. Nick shrugged the thought away and followed the other Survivors into the safe room.

"I hate malls," Nick muttered as he closed the safe room door.


	6. You Think She's Sad the Mall's Closed?

"**You Think She's Sad the Mall's Closed?"**

Survivors

Liberty Mall was devoid of life.

Except for zombies, of course. There were loads of those.

Nick noticed that what the mall lacked in merchandise and other Survivors, it certainly made up for in the Infected. The safe room was located in the ground floor of the mall, close to several clothing stores. There were zombies that eagerly rushed at the Survivors before they even had the chance to leave the safe room; Nick and Coach brought these zombies down through the bars of the door.

"I guess they couldn't wait to die," Nick quipped, resting his assault rifle on his shoulder. He watched as Rochelle pushed the metal bar off the safe room door. Once the other three Survivors were out, Nick slapped the barrel of his rifle on his palm and followed them into the mall.

"If any of you see a men's store let me know," he called. An Infected rushed at him from the side, and he cold-cocked it with the butt of his rifle before shooting it. "I've got blood on my suit."

"Y'know your vanity's goin' to kill us," Coach commented. "We ain't got no time for that, boy."

"Whatever." Nick rolled his eyes and patted the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He could still feel the fat wad of money tucked inside, and that comforted him in a way. While he knew he would probably never get to use it to pay for Julie's surgery, it assured him that he could still use it in some other way.

Like buy Julie a new dress or that new bag she had been eyeing a few weeks ago.

Nick tried hard not to keep his thoughts on his daughter. He needed to focus, and whenever he let himself think about Julie he felt vulnerable.

'_Be the toughass you are, you nitwit_,' Nick thought with a scowl.

"What's got your briefs up in a bunch, Nick?" Rochelle asked him as they neared the escalators. The laugh of a Jockey reached their ears, and a few seconds later the humpbacked Infected came hopping down one of the escalators.

Nick and Rochelle fired, but it was Ellis's neatly placed sniper bullet that ended the Jockey's life.

"He prolly thinkin' about his girlfriend," Ellis teased.

"Shut up, Ellis," Nick snapped, but a few seconds later he realized that thinking about one of his ex-wives _would_ help him get into a zombie killing mode and forget about Julie for a while.

Hell, he'd wanted to shoot the smirk off one of his ex-wives before the outbreak began.

'_Just think all the goddamn zombies have Keri's face on them_,' Nick said silently. He grinned when he remembered what Keri's face looked like when she saw him and Julie driving away from the house they had shared in Minnesota. She looked dumbfounded, surprised, and shocked.

'_Served the bitch right after she started fooling around with the pizza delivery boy and leaving Jules alone just so she could go on one of her goddamn shopping sprees,_' Nick had thought at the time.

"Best day of my life," Nick said softly. He continued imagining Keri and, when he spotted the first zombies lingering around empty display cases, he shot their heads off. Nick liked the way the zombies' heads exploded, and so he went ahead to hunt for more Infected to shoot at.

But in a zombie apocalypse, it is never a good idea to separate from the group. Just as Nick reached the metal gate that separated the department store from the rest of the mall, a Boomer waddled behind the wall and vomited on the gambler.

"Oh this is just…disgusting!" Nick exclaimed, shaking Boomer bile off his suit. The bile stank to high heaven, but Nick didn't have time to stop and curse about the status of his suit. The Infected flowed up the escalators and broke out of shop windows to reach Nick, whose vision was obscured by the green bile.

Nick stumbled back, hearing Coach, Ellis, and Rochelle fire at the horde from behind him. He immediately crouched down, not wanting to be hit by a stray bullet. Still, a bullet glanced off the tiled floor and hit Nick in the butt.

"Well thank you for ventilating my damn suit," Nick said dryly, throwing the Survivors a dirty look. It was Rochelle who grinned sheepishly at him, and Nick shook his head in disgust. "You suck at shooting."

Once the Boomer bile slipped off Nick's body and evaporated, the horde slowed down to a trickle. Only a few Infected were running past the metal gate, but these were no match for Coach's combat shotgun and Nick's assault rifle.

"Next time stay with the group, okay Nick?" Coach patted Nick on the shoulder. "Don't want to lose you just yet."

"I feel _so_ valuable," Nick replied sarcastically, following the chubbier man into the next wing of the mall. This section was also dark, although the glass dome gave them some light. Coach took point, and the others filed down the escalator behind him.

"Man, it's so dark in here," Ellis said, waving his hand in front of his face. "I can barely see!"

"Then switch your flashlight on," Nick snapped. "That doesn't sound too hard, does it Ellis?"

"You got a problem, Nick?" Coach frowned at the conman before shooting the Infected that were idling behind the escalator. Rochelle and Ellis went ahead, while Coach and Nick lagged behind to look for some useful items around the cement plant boxes.

"Gee Coach, guess your prayers didn't work." Ellis jerked a finger towards the food court, which was bathed in darkness. "Don't see no food stalls open."

Coach sighed. "Now that's just sad. Man I have never been so hungry in my entire life."

The Survivors continued past the food court, Ellis had switched his flashlight on to illuminate their path, and this time Rochelle went up another escalator first.

"How many goddamn escalators do we have to use to get to the evac center?" Nick complained. The others ignored him, although Nick could see a tic was forming on Coach's chin.

"So," Rochelle began, falling into step beside Nick. "You got someone important in New Orleans?"

Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "What made you say that?"

"Well you're so gaga over getting to New Orleans," Rochelle answered. "We've all noticed how much of an asshole you are, but there's just got to be another reason."

Nick debated over whether he should tell her about Julie, but then he decided not to. He wasn't the kind of guy who opened up to some stranger and he certainly wasn't going to start now.

"I just want to get out of this shithole," Nick said instead.

"Okay." Rochelle shrugged and they fell into a rather uneasy silence.

"We gonna have to go through here," Coach announced, nodding at the employees' access hallway. The door to the hallway had toppled over, but there was something that was propping it up, forming some sort of ramp. "Aw shit, here they come!"

Several zombies had noticed the Survivors' presence and were now running at them. Their screeches attracted the other Infected in the area, forcing the Survivors to make a stand.

What they failed to notice was the Smoker that was hiding behind the access door; the Smoker grabbed Ellis by the waist and started dragging the young mechanic up and over the ramp.

"Them Smoker's got me!" Ellis cried as he landed painfully on the floor. Rochelle darted up the ramp, raising her assault rifle and shooting at the Smoker that was clawing at Ellis's head.

The Smoker exploded in a cloud of grey-green smoke, which drifted around Ellis and Rochelle's heads.

"Get over the door!" Rochelle called, and seconds later Nick and Coach joined them in the hallway. The ramp proved to be a slightly effective choke point, as it slowed the zombies a little. This gave the Survivors time to shoot at the Infected that were clustered around the doorway.

"I'm going on empty!" Nick slapped his last clip into his assault rifle and fired at the zombies. He gave a silent whoop as the zombies' heads exploded. Thinking about Keri really brought him out of his funk.

Ellis raised his hands over his head, his fingers forming rock horns. "Hell yeah!"

Nick rolled his eyes and checked the remaining bullets in his last clip. Five. Just five.

That wouldn't be enough to keep an entire horde at bay. Nick needed a new weapon.

"Man, where's an ammo pile when you need it?" Ellis lamented, holding the last two clips. "I need more bullets."

"Don't we all?" Nick snapped.

The Survivors continued down the hallway, and Nick's heart raced when he saw a small pile of AK-47s on the floor. He quickly took the AK-47 that didn't have any blood splatters on it, hoping that the rifle still had a full clip.

It did.

"Hey look, y'all." Coach pointed his lips towards a pair of doors that lay just beyond a pair of overturned vending machines. "We can go through this way."

Rochelle glanced behind her as she stepped over one of the vending machines, while Coach and Nick went on ahead. A quick check of the nearby supply rooms and the restrooms yielded a few pain pills and an adrenaline shot.

The last door at the end of the hallway led into the stockroom of a toy store. The shelves were empty, but there were several stuffed toys lying on the floor – and Infected that were shuffling around, groaning softly.

Nick and Rochelle killed the Infected while Ellis stared at the glass windows, which were connected to an alarm.

"Man, that thing's gonna sound an alarm if we shoot at it," Ellis declared.

"Yeah, I have a feeling this alarm's going to get us some attention," Nick agreed. The main door to the toy store was blocked, so the only way out was by breaking the glass.

Rochelle sighed loudly. "We have to turn off the alarm. I bet the switch is in the security room."

Before Nick could ask who was going to run ahead and turn the alarm off, Coach volunteered. Nick secretly doubted that Coach had the stamina to run past hordes of Infected, but if the man wanted to do it, then Nick was more than happy to let him.

Ellis shot at the glass windows, which broke and activated the alarm. The sound annoyed the ever-living fuck out of Nick, and he growled in frustration as he jumped out of the toy store.

The Infected flowed towards them like some sick flood, and Nick, Rochelle, and Ellis quickly had their hands full firing into the crowd. Ellis switched to his melee weapon, while Nick chose his shots carefully.

'_Think of Keri,'_ Nick reminded himself. Soon the faces of the Infected were replaced by the sneering and haughty face of his ex-wife, and his shots sliced open craniums and split skulls.

It was a bloodbath.

The sick squelch of flesh tearing and blood squirting filled the air as the Survivors fought their way to the third floor of the mall. Coach spotted a sign that led to the security room and ran ahead, while Ellis and Nick held the zombies at bay.

Rochelle flicked a pipe bomb as she crossed the bridge connecting the two sides of the mall and threw it in the opposite direction. The Infected followed the bomb, mesmerized by the blinking red light and the ticking sound.

The bomb gave her and Coach enough time to rush towards the security room, where Coach ran to the control panel and flipped the switch. "It's off!" he announced breathlessly, taking in huge gulps of air.

"Thank God that's off!" Nick said loudly from outside the security room. "I can take any of these goddamn zombies, but not that goddamn noise!"

Ellis entered the security room first. The mechanic immediately grabbed the bullets that he needed from the ammo pile on the nearby wooden table. Nick followed at a much slower pace, shooting at the remaining Infected that tried to follow him inside with a cocky grin.

"Let's move," Coach urged, once Ellis had enough bullets for his sniper rifle.

The security room was connected to another back hallway, and the Survivors went down a flight of stairs and into another hallway.

Signs for the evac center were plastered all over the walls now, but there were no signs of life.

"Hey, d'ya hear that crying girl again?" Ellis asked, fear creeping into his voice. "I ain't going near her, man."

The sobs became louder, reminding Nick of Keri. Aside from being a self-centered bitch, Keri used to fake sobs to get what she wanted. At first it worked on him, but when he learned that she was just pretending (with the help of some eye drops for those "teary" eyes), he never fell for her ruse ever again.

The Witch's cries now strongly reminded him of her. 'W_hy hadn't I made the connection before?_' Nick wondered, flipping the safety off of his AK-47. He then strode down the hallway and peeked inside the storage room.

Boxes and drop sheets covered the steel cabinets, but just beyond the metal gate was the Witch. She was visible due to the red aura that she emitted, lighting her up like some sick Christmas front yard ornament.

Nick raised the AK-47, aimed, and fired. The first few shots hit the Witch's body, and the fifth bullet was the one that startled her. She immediately raised her arms, screamed, and rushed at Nick. The conman pressed his finger on the trigger, careful not to let her out of his sight.

Ellis and Rochelle joined in shooting at the Witch, but Nick managed to put a bullet between the Witch's eyes a split second before her claws could slash at him. She fell to the ground with a final cry, and Nick kicked her corpse a few times.

"I have always wanted to do that," he said with satisfaction.

Coach shook his head. "Boy, you've got problems. Deep down problems."

* * *

Infected

- _Man, I wish we could stop and swim in the pool! It's the zombie apocalypse; everyone who wanted to go for a swim is either dead or…_

+ _Adrian, you have less tack than a corkboard._

- _It's "tact," smartass._

* _Hey! We're not here to swim, okay? We're here to see if Jules' dad is still in the city._

Julie, who was standing in the shade, turned her head at the sound of her name. Her black hair fluttered slightly in the breeze, and she lowered her eyes as Vance met her gaze.

_- I should've gone to the mall with Patrick. Guy's probably fitting out a tuxedo by now._

Vance snarled at Adrian, who suddenly dissolved into another laughing fit. It took very little to make Adrian laugh; even a simple sniff could send him laughing his Infected bum off.

* _Do you sense him anywhere, Jules?_

Vance hopped onto the nearby plant box, while Julie shielded her eyes from the sun. Slowly she shook her head.

# _I can find hints of his scent, though. Very faint, but it's there. He was here, Vance; maybe an hour or so away from us._

Hope filled Julie's voice.

_* Do you think you can pick it up again?_

Julie nodded. Vance grinned, showing her his sharp teeth.

+ _Hey Vance, I think I know where Julie's dad is headed._

* _You do? Where?_

+ _The mall. CEDA set up an evac center inside it, and he may have decided to go there._

Vance looked at Julie.

* _I think it's worth a shot._

- _So we're definitely headed to the mall? Hell YEAH! Jimmy Gibbs was going to make an appearance; you think he's become Infected? Because if he did, I'm asking for an autograph!_

Carter rolled his eyes and swung his second tongue over his shoulder.

+ _I'll agree to the idea, as long as you promise you're not going to go apeshit on us_.

- _Oh come on, Carter! Isn't there something that can get you excited?_

+ _Yeah. You shutting up._

While Carter and Adrian bickered, Vance and Julie walked away from The Vannah and towards the streets. For her part, Julie could pick up very faint whiffs of her dad's cologne. It was mixed with sweat and slight body odor, but still, it was his.

The thought that she was in the same city as her dad comforted her, and made her even more determined to reach him.

_#I'll cross the entire country if I have to._

_*You really love him that much, huh?_

Julie jumped slightly, raising her arms and screeching. Vance jumped away from her, landing on the other side of an overturned dumpster.

* _Whoa, it's just me! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you._

# _Sorry. It's an automatic response. I didn't realize I said that out loud, actually. But yeah, I do. He's the only family I have, Vance. The only family I'll ever need._

Vance nodded, pulling the hood over his face and walking back to her.

_* There's only one thing left to do, then._

_# What's that?_

_* Get a move on!_

Vance gave Julie a thumbs up and leaped down the street. Julie smiled widely as Adrian and Carter stood on either side of her.

- _Don't tell him I said this, but Vance looks like a jackrabbit with all the hopping._

_*I heard that!_

_- Oh shit._

_+ Hey, are those bullet holes?_

Carter approached a metal door, which was slightly twisted. Holes marked the upper and lower half, and it looked like something had tried to burst its way through.

_* Maybe they went this way._

Vance checked the map that he had in his jacket, only to remember that it showed the main highways and roads in the eastern states. He folded the map and placed it back in his jacket pocket. It was then when he heard a faint ringing; it sounded like an alarm. Vance shook his head and focused on the task at hand.

* Well, we certainly won't get anywhere if we don't move.

Just as the Infected Survivor group entered the doorway into the utility room, the four Survivors exited the door of the Save 4 Less, led by a man in a white suit.

* * *

**Author's Note: I have written/am writing detailed chapters that focus on most (if not all) the chapters in the "Dead Center," "Dark Carnival," and "The Parish" campaigns. The chapters that occur in "The Passing," "Swamp Fever," and "Hard Rain" campaigns will be rather long (longer than the first six chapters), since I'm cramming a lot of action and dialogue in them. Just so you guys know. :b Oh, and I'd like to thank those who've followed, favorited, and reviewed this fanfic. I seriously thought this was going to be rubbish, but you guys proved me wrong. Dead wrong. Feedback is appreciated, as always. :)**


	7. Follow the Dead Crumbs

**Follow the Dead Crumbs**

Infected

Julie ducked under the overpass, grateful for the shade. She was having difficulty walking around in the sunlight, and even tucking her head under Vance's arm didn't help.

_* Hey Jules. Sure you don't want to use my hoodie?_

Vance came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Adrian was hopping up and down a wrecked car that was parked on the other end of the tunnel, while Carter was swinging his tongue in front of him.

_# No thanks, Vance. I'm fine._

_* You sure? Let me see your eyes._

Julie slowly lowered her clawed hands from her face. Vance saw that her eyes were tinged with red and that tears streaked down her cheeks. He clicked his tongue, and a small hiss escaped his lips.

_# Is it bad?_

_* Well, not exactly. But I'm sure you've seen better days...no pun intended. Come on, we've got to get going._

Julie was about to protest and say that her eyes needed to rest, but she remembered why she was in Savannah. She nodded and leaned against Vance, burying her face in the soft cotton of his navy blue jacket. Adrian cleared his throat (it came out as a giggle) as the two approached.

_- You two are_ so _sweet together._

_* Shut up, Adrian._

_- Oooo, touched a nerve, did I, Vance?_

_+ Listen wise guy, Jules's eyes are tearing up, okay? She obviously can't stand being in the sunlight._

_* Or being near Adrian._

_- Hey!_

_+ So where do we go from here?_

_# I have a suggestion._

The three other Special Infected turned towards Julie, who had her eyes shut tight. Even though her eyelids were covering her eyeballs, Julie could feel the searing heat of the sun seep through her skin. She shuddered violently, and a sob escaped her lips.

_# We can find my daddy if we just follow the zombie corpses._

Carter and Adrian stared at the small clusters of dead Infected that were lying around them. They had been so busy surveying the area that they neglected to see that their "kinsmen" surrounded them, finally dead.

_* Good idea. If your dad came this way, then he certainly had to kill other zombies to get through._

Carter nodded in agreement, while Adrian laughed.

_- It's like he's leaving us breadcrumbs to follow. Really huge, stinky breadcrumbs._

But they couldn't have asked for a better way to track Nick down. There were many bodies, including those of Hunters (Vance bristled slightly), Jockeys, and a Charger. It was when they jumped down the trailer when they saw a dead Smoker, sending Carter into a hacking and coughing fit.

_+ Looks like they're headed to a gun store._

_* How do you know?_

Carter jerked his head to a faded advertisement that was on the trailer.

LOOKING FOR AN M-16 ASSAULT RIFLE? HEAD TO WHITAKER'S AND GET GREAT GUNS AT PRACTICAL PRICES!

Adrian snorted.

_- I bet I can write a better advertisement than that._

Carter rolled his eyes and followed the others up the stairs. Vance and Julie were moving as fast as they could, but Carter and Adrian kept on passing them by. Finally Vance told the two to go ahead and see if they could spot Julie's dad.

Adrian hopped away, giggling like the little lunatic that he was, while Carter swung his tongue over his neck again and followed the Jockey at a more dignified – although slightly limping – pace. The street was blocked, so the Infected Survivors were forced to take the overpass.

The trail of bodies led them up to the overpass anyway, so they all supposed that they were going the right way.

_- You know what I miss the most about being not Infected?_

Adrian was hopping beside Julie, which made him look like her weird pet rabbit.

_# No, what?_

_- Eating! I miss those cheeseburgers from Burger Tank, man! I used to eat, like, four of those in a single sitting!_

_# Well it sure doesn't show. You looked like you were thin when you were human._

_+ Hey, we're still human. Just...Infected._

Julie smiled from behind her hands. She liked how her companions refused to acknowledge the fact that they had become zombies; it helped her keep things in perspective. Right now the only thing holding her together was the thought that she would see her daddy again.

It felt like years since she last saw him. She missed bugging him while he was on the phone, stealing his fries, and giving him a hug even though he'd told her that he was all smelly and sweaty. Many people might have thought he was a self-centered prick, but hell, he was her daddy.

In Julie's eyes, Nick could do no wrong.

_* Um, could you guys cover that?_

Julie peeked out from behind her fingers, wondering what Vance was talking about.

_# What is it?_

_- Nothing, sweet pea. Don't you pull your hands away from your face, okay?_

But Julie was the kind of person who did the opposite of what she was told to. She dropped her hands and stared ahead, even though it felt like someone had thrown acid at her eyeballs.

A few feet away from her was a bullet-ridden corpse of a Witch, her lank blonde hair strewn around her head. Her eyes blended with her skin, making it look like she had her eyes closed. She was wearing a dirty white tank top and panties – similar to the ones Julie had on – and her claws had dried blood on them.

Julie screeched and backed into Carter, feeling the rough texture of his tongue and the squishy tumor-like bulk on the right side of his throat.

_- Told ya you shouldn't have looked._

_* Shut it, Adrian._

Julie continued to stare at the Witch, tears streaming down her cheeks. Was that going to be her fate? Would her daddy shoot her without a second thought?

Vance had told her that she didn't look the same; the only thing that remained of her former life was her dark hair and the locket that hung around her neck. Julie knew that her daddy was the kind of man who had a "shoot first, ask questions later" persona, so it was possible that he'd end up shooting at her.

_* I'm sure he'll recognize you, Jules._

Vance came up to her, using his hands to shield her eyes from the sun.

_* You've got your locket, and how many Witches have dark hair? Let's keep going, and you'll be with your daddy soon._

Julie nodded, while Carter and Adrian exchanged worried glances. They sorely hoped that Vance was right; otherwise they would have made this journey for nothing. Carter had heard of stories from other Infected who had encountered Survivors who seemed to enjoy killing Special Infected. There was this one group that had managed to travel all the way from Pennsylvania, killing zombies as they went. They had even dubbed themselves the "Angels of Death," and would leave tallies of their kill counts in all the safe rooms that they'd been to.

_# You think Patrick's still at the mall? Maybe he's seen my daddy._

_+ If he did, I'm sure he'd have made an effort to talk to him._

Julie buried her head in Vance's jacket again, and the Infected Survivors finally reached the end of the overpass. Below them was Whitaker's gun shop, and the side door had a huge hole in its center.

_* They definitely came here. Looks like they had their choice of guns._

_+ I'd have gone with the combat shotgun. That thing packs a wallop._

_- I call dibs on the sniper rifle! I may be short, but hell, that thing can help me see farther than any of you sons of bitches!_

_# My daddy would have gone with the assault rifle. What about you, Vance?_

_* I dunno. An AK-47, I guess. I'm not really into guns; my parents were hippies. We had a strict "no gun" rule at home._

_- Pussy._

Vance growled at Adrian, who fell into another laughing fit.

"Who's there?" a sharp voice suddenly rang out. "I got enough guns to blow y'all to hell!"

Adrian laughed even more.

_* Where is that voice coming from?_

_+ From the roof. There's this makeshift bunker up there._

The words were barely "spoken" when they all heard the whine of a machine gun.

_- Holy fucking crap, he's gonna shoot at us!_

Adrian screeched wildly and darted inside the store, followed by Carter, Vance, and Julie, who slammed the door behind them.

_+ That door isn't going to stop him, Jules! It's got a big god damn hole in the center!_

_# At least there's something between him and us!_

_* Up the stairs!_

_+ You crazy? If we go upstairs we'll be running straight towards him!_

Julie smacked Carter at the back of the head, snarling.

_# The mall's on the other side of the store! Didn't you see those bodies on the other side of the barrier?_

_- Yeah, smack him again!_

Julie hissed at Adrian and followed Vance up the stairs. When she reached the top, she saw the metal door that led to Whitaker's bunker.

_* Seems like he's got a rocket launcher and a machine gun in there. We need to be really, really fast._

_# You won't have a problem with that, but what about the rest of us?_

Vance glanced at her. _* I'll distract him while you guys make a run for it._

_# No! Vance, we can do th-_

Vance grabbed Julie's arms and looked at her. For the first time Julie saw that his eyes were milky white, like hers, and that his nose was rather pointy.

_* Your dad is on the other side of that store, Jules. The longer we stay here, the greater the chance you'll miss him. I'll be okay, Jules. Just get to your dad._

A sob escaped Julie's lips, but it wasn't because the effect of the Green Flu virus.

_# We'll wait for you on the other side, okay?_

Vance nodded, not wanting to make any promises. Julie noticed that Carter and Adrian were standing a few feet away from him. The Hunter turned towards the Smoker and the Jockey, who stood up straighter (or as straight as Adrian's hunched back could allow him).

_* Get her to her dad._

Before any of them could react, Vance leaped off the balcony and in plain sight of Whitaker's guns. Julie screamed, but Carter grabbed her wrist.

_+ Let's go!_

Julie ran in the opposite direction, towards the Save 4 Less convenience store. She was too busy watching as Whitaker shot at Vance, who jumped in a zigzag pattern across the parking lot to avoid the bullets, to notice that she had already outstripped Carter and Adrian.

_- Hey slow down! Wait for us!_

Julie turned her head slightly, her eyes widening as she saw that Carter and Adrian were still on the second floor of Whitaker's shop.

_* What are you doing, Jules? Keep running!_

Bits of concrete suddenly flew up at Julie's feet as Whitaker shot at her as well. Julie raised her arms and screamed, spotting the blur of a bullet as it exited the barrel of Whitaker's gun. She stepped to the side, noting how fast she moved.

With a sinister grin, she screamed again and ran down the parking lot, followed closely by Vance.

_* You're insane!_

_# I'm just watching your back!_

_* Still insane!_

_# I'm saving your butt, aren't I?_

Vance looked at her, his teeth bared. Julie wasn't sure if that was a grin or a grimace. Carter and Adrian were about to join the Hunter and the Witch, but when they saw the number of bullets that Whitaker was sending down the parking lot, they opted to climb over the roof of the convenience store.

_* Where are you guys? I thought you were supposed to take Julie to her dad!_

_- Yeah, well it's kinda hard to do if she can run faster than you! We're on the other side now._

Vance and Julie came running around the corner seconds before Whitaker sent a rocket their way. The nearby barrier exploded, throwing Vance and Julie further down the parking lot. The Hunter landed on the hood of an alarmed car, which emitted a series of loud shrieks and wails. Julie, on the other hand, ended up in the middle of the parking lot, close to some tents.

_+ Can't you shut that thing up?_

The car alarm was attracting the attention of the other Infected in the area, but since they couldn't see any Survivors, they simply circled the four Infected Survivors, as if they knew that Vance, Julie, Carter, and Adrian weren't bona fide zombies.

_* Just give me the key to the car and I'll gladly stop the alarm for you._

Carter coughed while Julie slowly got to her feet, her claws grazing Carter's ankle.

_+ Hey, watch it!_

_# Sorry. I'm still getting used to the claws._

_- You okay Carter? It's like someone gave you a wedgie._

Carter shook his head. _+ I'm fine. Let's just go._

_- Grumble grumble. You're like a grumpy turkey._

_* Give it a rest, Adrian._

The Jockey threw his hands up in mock surrender. _– Okay, okay. Sheesh, you guys can never take a joke._

Vance brushed some dirt and small bits of concrete off his jacket and followed the three others down the parking lot. They could see the red safe room door ahead of them, but something made them stop dead in their tracks.

It was the corpse of a Tank.

_- Man, I sure hope that ain't Patrick._

* * *

Survivors

Nick paced the safe room, cursing both CEDA and the military.

Their evac center had been overrun, meaning that they had to find a way out of the city on their own. Nick never liked CEDA and the military, but now he hated them.

"So who the hell is this Jimmy Gibbs Jr.?" Nick asked irritably, to take his mind off the fact that he had been left to die – twice.

"Aw hey! Jimmy Gibbs!" Coach exclaimed with a grin. He took several shells for his shotgun and slipped them in his pocket. "The man's a stock car legend!"

"Really? 'Cause he looks like an asshole," Nick commented. "I look at his face and I wish he'd been turned into a zombie so that I can shoot the shit out of him."

"Getcho ass movin', Nick!" Coach scowled at the gambler, who shrugged.

"Let's go," Rochelle called, shifting the weight from one side of her body to the other.

Nick and Coach joined Rochelle near the safe room door, while Ellis reloaded his sniper rifle.

"Man, why do I get the feeling that something bad is going to happen?" Ellis said as Nick kicked the safe room door open.

"You're just getting that feeling _now_?" Nick raised an eyebrow at Ellis.

"Yeah. I mean it's fun to kill some zombies and shit, but..." Ellis looked solemn. "Eh. I just need some beer."

For the first time, Nick agreed with the kid. He felt like he could use some cold beer right about now.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but I've been waiting for my beta reader to return the chapter. Since it's been nearly a month, I decided to post the next chapter anyway (DAOS, if you're reading this: a. I'm sorry I didn't wait, and b. don't worry if it took long, I know you've got dive meets!). I hope you guys are still with me. :) **


	8. Dibs on Gibbs

**Dibs on Gibbs**

Survivors

Nick hated gas cans.

How he hated these bright yellow containers that sloshed stinky gasoline inside.

He especially hated stock car drivers, especially those who ended up Infected.

Ellis's worst fears came true when he and Nick ran into an Infected Jimmy Gibbs Jr. as they made their sweep of the ground floor. Even Jimmy Gibbs Jr. was not spared from the Green Flu, as he appeared from behind one of the signs in all his zombified glory.

Amidst Ellis's anguished screams, Nick was forced to put the former stock car racer down.

"Dibs on Gibbs!" Nick said with satisfaction, as Jimmy Gibbs Jr. slumped to the floor, finally dead.

Nick and his three other companions were in the main atrium of the Liberty Mall, running around like idiots while dodging the waves of Infected. He couldn't believe he was trying to gas up some hick's stock car, but hell, that was the only way he could escape the mall.

"Big arm!" he heard Ellis shout, and a split second later Nick felt something ram into him with immense force. He felt the gas can he was holding slip from his hands and clatter to the floor.

"Shoot this goddamn thing!" Nick shouted as the Charger pummeled him to the floor. Pain shot up and down his back and he punched the meaty arm that was holding him. He grimaced as rotting flesh came free in his hands, and he shook his hand.

Ellis, Coach, and Rochelle were all firing at the Charger, but a Jockey leaped onto Coach's back and rode the health instructor away from the group. Ellis and Rochelle were now forced to choose between killing the Charger or knocking the Jockey off Coach's back.

"I got this!" Rochelle cried, giving Ellis the cue to run after Coach and the Jockey.

The Jockey giggled as it slammed Coach against the stock car.

"Oh hell no," Ellis said with a frown, smashing the butt of his sniper rifle on the Jockey's face, knocking it off. "You ain't touchin' the stock car!"

The Jockey hopped once before Coach put a shotgun shell through its brain. It fell to the ground with one last laugh, and was still.

Coach bent over, his shoulder muscles throbbing painfully.

"That ain't right," he wheezed.

On the other side of the atrium, Rochelle continued to shoot the Charger. Ellis and Coach scrambled to help her, but the Charger finally fell under her insistent fire.

"Got him," Rochelle told them with a grin.

"Fantastic, sweetie," Nick said with a groan; the Charger had fallen on top of him. "Now if you don't mind, I need a little help here, please!"

Ellis and Coach grabbed Nick's hands and pulled him out from under the dead Special Infected. Once Nick was free from the Charger, Ellis and Coach whirled around and joined Rochelle in fending off the zombie horde.

"I hate gas cans, I hate these zombie bastards," – Nick paused to fire point blank into the face of a snarling zombie that had launched itself at him – "and I hate freakin' Chargers!"

"See any gas cans?" Rochelle called, reloading her gun.

"Ah see two!" Ellis replied, running up the steps to the second floor. Coach was hot on the mechanic's heels, and the two men grabbed the gas cans that were lying near a door. A faint pounding came from behind the door, which quickly escalated in volume and frequency.

"Just go! Go!" Nick raised his assault rifle and bore holes into the door, killing the Infected that were standing and pounding behind it. He cast a hurried glance behind him and saw that Ellis and Coach were simply throwing the gas cans over the second floor railing and on the ground.

Ellis and Coach then joined Nick and Rochelle, and together the four Survivors raced down the adjoining bridge and onto the other side of the atrium. They didn't find any gas cans on that end, but they did see a small stash of pipe bombs and pain pills on the bench near the elevator.

It was only when they reached an area that had several chairs and tables did they see another pair of gas cans. Ellis and Rochelle ran towards it, but they were swarmed by several Infected that had managed to pound their way out of the nearby utility door.

"Aaaaah!" Rochelle screamed, raising her rifle to block an Infected from clamping its teeth on her arm. The Infected's teeth gnawed at the cold metal and Rochelle shoved the zombie away. It staggered for a few seconds before Coach blasted its head open, taking down two more Infected nearby.

"Watch out!" Ellis cried, spotting another Infected lurch out of the shadows. Nick, who was the closest to the Infected, pitched forward as the Infected slammed into him. The conman twisted around and fired once: the bullet hit the Infected in the stomach, and Nick could feel something warm and wet splash on his suit pants.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he whispered, grimacing as the congealed blood pooled on his shoes. "Come on!"

"Not the time!" Coach called, as Ellis and Rochelle picked up the gas cans and flung them over the railing. The gas cans hit the floor close to the stock car and the Survivors looked at each other. "How many more, boy?"

"Um, two?" Ellis looked uncertain.

"Don't guess, make sure!" Nick groused, slipping a clip into his rifle and snapping it in place. "I sure as hell don't want to go jackrabbiting around this freaking mall!"

"Make it four!" Ellis decided, and again the Survivors made their way down the connecting bridge (which was covered by some scaffolding). Soon they were back where they started, their eyes resting on the third floor.

"How the hell are we supposed to get up there?" Nick broke off to shoot a Spitter, which was in the process of spewing acid at them.

"Let's try the other stairs!" Rochelle suggested, and they made their way down. Nick and Ellis jumped onto the roofs of the nearby stands, while Rochelle and Coach took the longer way down.

They convened near the information desk, stopping long enough to grab some bullets.

It was then when the ground shook; Ellis lost his grip on some of the bullets and swore under his breath.

"We got a huge problem!" Nick exclaimed, spotting the Tank as it lumbered out from behind the stock car.

* * *

Infected

The mall was actually pretty nice, if they discounted the fact that it was teeming with the undead. The Infected Survivors used the safe room to enter the premises, with Adrian giggling madly as he encountered another Jockey that had been lurking behind a smashed glass display case.

The two Jockeys circled each other, as if testing what the other would do. Finally Adrian broke away from his fellow Jockey and joined Vance and Julie near the metal gate.

_* Made a new friend?_

_- Haha, Vance. He couldn't understand what I was saying. Too bad, we could have used another comedian in this group. You guys are all so serious._

_+ No, we're just focused._

_- Call it what you want, Carter, but it's like you're all going to a funeral. Lighten up! _

_+ In case you didn't notice, you punk kid, we're in a funeral. A funeral for the entire world._

_- Where did you get a sudden flair for dramatics? Was it because that old codger nearly shot you in the ass?_

Carter coughed in response, which sent Adrian giggling like a little schoolboy. Julie, who had remained silent up until that point, suddenly gasped and raised her head.

_* What's wrong, Jules?_

_# I smell something._

_* Your dad?_

_# No. Sugar._

_- Don't tell me you want to make a snack stop! Because if you do, I'm in!_

Julie screeched at Adrian, who giggled and backed away.

_# I can't eat sugar!_

_- Yes you can. Nobody here is going to stop you._

_# I'm diabetic!_

Adrian fell silent. Finally he let out an "oh" sound that lasted for about seven seconds.

_- I guess I get your share then._

Julie was about to take a swipe at Adrian, but the Jockey started hopping down the escalator, humming an obscure tune. The three other Infected Survivors followed him, with Julie sniffing the air every so often.

The sugary sweet smell grew stronger as they reached the food court, where several bodies lay. Bullets pockmarked the walls and some tables and chairs had been overturned.

_* Looks like they passed here, Julie. Julie?_

Julie had peeled away from the others and was now circling a cotton candy stand. Bags of sugar had spilled over the counter, and even as she walked, Julie scooped some sugar in her palms and inhaled it deeply, an expression of bliss coming over her as she breathed.

_- Damn, that's the first time I saw someone go nuts over sugar._

Vance leaped over to Julie, who hissed and slunk away. Vance raised an eyebrow and Julie paused.

_# Sorry. I thought you were going to steal the sugar._

_* I thought you were a diabetic._

_# I know, but geez, it smells_ so _good!_

_* Right. Come on, let's go. Your dad's in here some-_

Vance was cut off by the shrill sound of an alarm. He shrieked and clapped his hands over his ears, while Julie screeched.

_+ That must be them!_

_- Turn it off man, turn it off!_

Vance leaped away from the cotton candy stand – Julie followed him, although hesitantly – and saw that the trail of Infected corpses led up another set of escalators.

_+ I'm going deaf! Shut it off!_

Vance whipped his head this way and that, finally spotting a shaft of light coming from an employee access hallway.

_* This way!_

Julie easily followed him, even beating him over the makeshift ramp. She landed on the floor, only to find herself face to face with another Witch.

The Witch gasped and flung her arms wide, screaming. Julie didn't wait; she raised her own claws and slashed at the Witch, leaving deep, red gouges on the Witch's body. The Witch thrashed and screamed again, and one of her claws caught Julie in the cheek.

_* Hey!_

Vance leaped at the Witch, who used her brute strength to punch him away from her in mid-air. The Hunter landed painfully on the concrete floor. Vance's hood fell away from his face, exposing a gray, bald head with fierce red eyes.

Julie's eyes widened as the Witch bore down on her, but the girl managed to sidestep the Witch's attack at the last minute. The Witch slammed against the metal door and she sprawled on her back with an angry cry.

Julie used this to her advantage: she leaned over the Witch and slashed at her. Julie allowed her anger take control of her and her attack became more frenzied.

_# Stay…the…hell…away…from…my…friends!_

Julie accentuated each word with a furious slash. Even though the Witch tried to get to her feet, Julie pushed her back down and continued her attack. Before long the Witch was dead, and blood dripped from Julie's sharp claws.

Breathing heavily, Julie turned towards Vance, who had pulled his hood over his head again. _# You okay?_

_* I'm fine. Thanks._

_+ Do you always need her to save you?_

Carter and Adrian jumped down from the ramp (Adrian landed on the Witch's body).

_- Man, can't believe I missed a Witch bitch fight. Stupid Charger. _

_* What happened?_

_- Some hillbilly blocked our way. I think he was masturbating._

Vance rolled his eyes while Carter smacked Adrian on the back of the head. It was only then when they noticed that the alarm had been shut off. In the furor of Julie's fight with the Witch and Carter and Adrian's encounter with a Charger, they had all forgotten about it.

_+ Seems like your dad's not far away. I'd bet anything it was him who shut it off._

Julie grinned. Carter and Adrian did a double take when they saw her hellish expression; the Jockey even took a visible step back.

_- Man, that could scare the bejesus out of Donald Trump!_

Julie felt the grin slide off her face.

_* Let's go. At least we don't have to deal with that irritating ringing in our ears._

The four Infected Survivors headed down the hallway, stopping when they came to the end.

_+ Which way?_

Vance looked around. There was a small pile of weapons to their left, and there were a couple of boxes to their right.

_* Let's head to the left. They might have found these weapons and decided to go that way. _

Carter picked up an AK-47. He stroked it lovingly while Adrian hopped on one of the overturned vending machines. Carter set the gun down with a sigh and followed his companions down the hallway.

The branching hallway was empty, save for some dried pools of blood, a trolley, and several boxes of supplies and toys. Vance saw that the door at the end of the hallway was open, and he leaped towards it. It led to the supply room of a toy store: there were stacks of Barbie dolls and stuffed toys and action figures.

Vance checked the first door, which led to a small utility closet, and then the second door, which led to the toy store itself. A window was broken, which was the most likely cause of the alarm.

_* We're not far off, Jules. We'll get there. _

_# I know it. Daddy's scent is getting stronger. _

With that comforting thought in mind, the four Infected Survivors quickened their pace. The path of dead Infected led them to the third floor, into the security room, and down another employees' access hallway. They even passed a body of a Witch, bullet holes decorating almost every inch of her body. Julie repressed a shudder and kept on walking.

Soon they found themselves in the abandoned – and the very overrun – evac center, where bodies had been piled high. Several CEDA Infected milled about the evac center, snarling from behind their clear plastic masks.

_- You were supposed to be protecting us, you morons._

Adrian tried to deliver a swift kick on one of the CEDA Infected, but it turned towards him before he could do so. Adrian yelped and backed into Carter, sending the Smoker's tongue sliding to the floor.

_+ What the fuck, Adrian?!_

Adrian giggled as Carter wrapped his slimy tongue around his neck. The Smoker coughed violently again and the Jockey continued laughing as they made their way up another escalator. The safe room loomed ahead of them.

It was occupied.

A Boomer and a Spitter were inside when Vance swung the safe room door open. The Boomer and Spitter both stared at the newcomers. A few drops of acid fell from the Spitter's gaping mouth, while the Boomer burped loudly.

Julie pushed past her companions and the Boomer and Spitter, who both regarded her warily. Julie wrenched the door open. It led to another hallway, and Julie frowned.

_# How many hallways are there in this place?_

Vance, Carter, and Adrian edged past the Boomer and Spitter, the former waddling towards them. Before the Boomer could join them in the hallway, however, Adrian slammed the door in the Boomer's face.

_- Fat bastard. Let's see you get out of_ that.

_+ If the safe room door was closed, how did they get in?_

The words were barely out of Carter's mouth when the door opened. The Spitter had leaned against the door and, since there was no metal bar to brace it closed, it had swung open easily.

_- Oh crap._

The four Infected Survivors raced down the hallway, followed closely by the Boomer and Spitter. Julie held an easy lead; her speed allowed her to keep well away from her three companions. They reached the atrium just as the Tank appeared.

The Boomer and the Spitter, upon smelling the Survivors, quickly joined their undead comrades. Julie watched them go, realizing that the Boomer and Spitter planned to hurt her dad.

_# No! Daddy!_

The Spitter was climbing down the wall, acid dripping from her mouth. The Boomer, on the other hand, took a leap off the third floor, landing on the ground floor with a boom of blood and guts.

_+ No wonder they're called Boomers. Big _and_ stupid. _

Julie copied the Spitter, using her claws to hold on to the small crevices in the wall. Just before the Spitter could join the throng of Infected that were flowing towards the Survivors, Julie grabbed one of the Spitter's greasy braids and flung the Special Infected onto the second floor bridge.

With a loud screech, Julie jumped after the Spitter and pinned her to the floor. The Spitter made hacking noises, as if summoning a gush of acid from her system. Julie raised her claws and clapped the tips together, so that they all ended in a sharp point.

_# That's my daddy you're trying to hurt._

Julie plunged her claws deep in the Spitter's throat and twisted it, decapitating the Spitter. The Spitter's head rolled away from the body and Julie leaped back to her feet. She turned her head towards the ground floor of the atrium again, and her heart leaped in her chest when she saw her dad.

Nick was limping, and from her position Julie could see that there were several gashes on his body. His suit was stained with blood and Boomer bile, and in his hands was an assault rifle, which he was aiming at a Tank.

_- Hey you big lump of steroidal muscles! _

_* I don't think that's Patrick._

_+ Nope. He isn't responding to us._

The Tank continued bearing down at the Survivors; two of them (a dark skinned woman and a young man in a yellow short) hurriedly poured gas inside a car.

_# Daddy!_

Julie opened her mouth and tried to form the words, but what came out was a shrill cry.

_* You have to get closer! He needs to see your locket!_

Julie made her way to the stairs, just as the young man called Nick.

"Nick! Coach! Come on, I need all of you guys in here, NOW!"

Nick and Coach fired several shots and the Tank finally succumbed to the attack. It fell forward, causing the ground to shake, but Nick and Coach were on their way to the car.

_# DADDY! Daddy, it's me! Julie!_

Julie ran towards Nick, feeling her locket bounce against her chest. _#Daddy!_

But Nick didn't hear her call him. All he could hear were the sounds of a Witch's scream, which only spurred him to run – albeit slightly limping – faster.

Julie rushed down the stairs, screaming.

Vance realized that Julie would never reach them in time, and he leaped from the second floor and onto the top of the information desk. But before either of them could make a second move, the driver of the stock car slammed on the accelerator.

With a loud screech of tires and the smell of burning rubber, the stock car rushed forward, crashed into the front doors of the mall, and was gone.


	9. A Bright Ray(ford) of Sunshine

**A Bright Ray(ford) of Sunshine**

Las Vegas, a year before the Green Flu Outbreak

The casino was full of adults, but that didn't stop the eleven-year old from winding her way through the crowded room.

Julie's eyes scanned the throng of people who were wasting their money away, looking for a tall, dark-haired man in a pearl white suit and blue shirt.

"Hey, aren't you a little young to be in here?" A gruff security guard had spotted Julie amongst the adults and now clamped his hand over her wrist. "Why don't you go find your mommy and-"

"Let me go, damn you," Julie hissed, smirking as the security guard's eyes widened. "Or else I'll scream."

"Nasty mouth you got there," the guard commented, but he still didn't let go of her hand. "I bet your daddy's a good for nothing crackhead."

Julie's expression darkened. "Don't you say anything about my daddy, you pothead." With that Julie stomped hard on the security guard's foot, causing him to howl in pain and release her.

Julie didn't wait for him to recover; she darted away from him and pushed past several women drinking margaritas and Bloody Marys.

_'Daddy where are you?'_ she thought in exasperation. Behind her Julie could hear the guard call for reinforcements, which she considered ironic. _'I guess he doesn't have the guts to go after big bad Julie. He needs his little pals to get me.'_

Julie snickered and headed towards the poker tables. She knew poker was her daddy's favorite card game, and she sure hoped that he'd be there. If he wasn't, she was screwed.

"A royal flush."

Julie whirled around at the sound of her daddy's voice. Sure enough, her dad was sitting at one of the high-end poker tables, a smirk on his handsome face and a buxom blonde on his right. The woman was trying to give Nick a full view of her plump breasts, but Nick, for the moment, had focused his attention on the poker table. His opponent's shoulders drooped slightly as her dad claimed the huge pile of chips.

As Nick arranged the chips into neat piles, he looked up and saw his daughter standing a few feet from the poker table. "Julie?"

"Hey Daddy," Julie greeted with an impish smile on her face. A sudden shout came from the row of slot machines, and Julie's dark hair (a physical trait she inherited from him) fanned around her head as she glanced in that direction.

Nick sighed. He knew what _that_ meant.

"What have you done this time?" Nick said as he gathered his winnings. The blonde woman he had met at the bar was quickly forgotten; whenever Julie was around, Nick wasn't a conman, a Casanova, or a gambler.

He was simply Daddy.

Before Julie could answer, two burly security guards – one with a very red face – came to a stop near Julie.

"You've got a lot to answer for, missy," the red-faced security guard said and grabbed Julie roughly by the wrist.

Nick reacted quickly: he reached for the guard's hand and wrenched it away from Julie's wrist. "Get your fucking hands off my daughter."

The guard blinked, while his companion clapped a restraining hand on Nick's shoulder. Nick glanced at the other guard.

"Remove your hand from my shoulder, you asshole, or I'm breaking your girlfriend's hand." Nick was aware that a small crowd had gathered around them and that Julie was watching the scene unfold like a little girl would watch a cartoon.

"Let...let him go, Ace," the red-faced guard wheezed. "For God's sakes, he's breaking my god damn hand!"

Ace removed his hand from Nick's shoulder and the conman released the red-faced guard as well, who promptly massaged his wrist.

"What the hell is going on here?" the head of security pushed his way past the crowd and studied the four. "Ace? Greg?"

"The little girl stomped on Greg's foot, Sir," Ace replied with a thick Southern drawl. "We were just going to discipline her."

"That's_ my_ job," Nick told Ace angrily. "I don't take kindly to people, especially men, putting violent hands on my daughter."

Julie put on her most innocent expression when the head of security looked at her. Nick had to stifle a laugh and fight to keep his expression furious.

"Greg, she's a _kid_," the head of security said in exasperation. "Save your energy for the real troublemakers."

"Y'Sir," Greg mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"Sorry about that Sir," the head of security said once Ace and Greg had left. "If there is anything we could do...?"

"I haven't eaten," Julie admitted suddenly. Nick looked at her, startled. He had left Julie with his new girlfriend, Lila, while he made the rounds on the poker tables. Normally he preferred going to more...low-end casinos, but Lila had been insistent. "Mommy went out with a friend. Uncle Quentin."

Julie glanced at Nick, who inhaled sharply.

'_That bitch'_, he thought. Nick wasn't angry because Lila was screwing around - okay, so maybe he was a little pissed - but because she had left Julie alone in the hotel room.

"We'll send up some food to your room," the head of security promised. "Again, I'm so sorry. We pride in the good judgment of our security guards."

"Must have been an off day," Nick said conversationally. "Thanks for the offer. We're in Room 659."

The head of security nodded. After apologizing again and assuring Nick and Julie that the incident wouldn't happen again, he left.

Nick remained stoic as he rode the elevator with Julie, who hummed a soft tune while playing with the elevator buttons. She liked pressing the "Close" button just before a passenger could enter, and then opening it before the elevator could go to the next floor.

Usually Julie's antics made Nick laugh, but not this time.

"Julie, stop that," Nick scolded her. Julie wasn't used to being spoken to harshly (by her dad, no less), and she turned slowly to look at him.

Her hair fell over her face as she stared at Nick. "You're upset that Lila's screwing another guy, aren't you?"

"What do you think?" Nick scowled, tightening his grip on the bag of poker chips. Great, he forgot to exchange them. He could do that later. "No wonder you came looking for me."

"Please, Daddy. Like I'd let anyone mess around without you knowing about it. I can kill her if you want," she offered, smirking.

Any normal father would have been shocked to hear an eleven year old girl offer to kill someone, but Nick wasn't a normal father. Julie had been raised in a violent lifestyle, had seen things that most girls her age only saw from behind a television screen.

Nick tried his best to keep her away from his conman lifestyle, but as Julie grew older, she insisted that she be a part of his cons.

"Like father like daughter," she had said simply. "It's just you and me, Daddy. I'm not letting you do this all on your own."

It was a small wonder then that Nick and Julie were psychotically protective of each other. Nick remembered a time when Julie was only eight. A couple of men he had won money from came to the motel room he and Julie were staying in and demanded that Nick give them part of the money back.

When one of the men pulled a switchblade at Nick, Julie threw a lamp at them and screamed at the top of her lungs. She wasn't scared; she just wanted them to run away. Her screams brought the manager of the motel as well as a cop who was staying in one of the rooms.

After that incident, Julie badgered Nick to teach her how to fight. Nick knew better than to refuse her – she certainly had a way of getting her own way with him.

"Julie," Nick warned. "No."

Julie frowned. "Don't tell me you love her that much. She's not worth it."

"I know. Let me handle this."

"Okay. But if she tries anything funny, she's going down."

Nick chuckled despite the anger he was feeling. "You really are my kid."

* * *

Infected

Julie felt tears slipping down her cheeks.

'_No, this isn't happening'_, she thought in despair. '_I can't be too late. I can't_.'

But the blue speck that was Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s stock car grew smaller in the distance, until even Julie's enhanced eyesight could no longer see it anymore.

She had seen her daddy just a few minutes ago; seen him run towards the stock car that was on display in Liberty Mall before and after the outbreak. Now, to learn that he was gone to God-knows-where, brought fresh tears to her eyes.

_- Man, we're too late. I can't believe it._

Adrian hopped down from the information desk and stood beside Julie, hopping every so often. Vance and Carter stood on Julie's other side, both solemn.

For a while they let Julie cry away her despair and frustration. Soon her sobs stopped, and they turned to look at her.

_# I'm going after him. _

She had a determined look on her face and Vance knew she meant it. He had heard enough stories from her during their travels to Savannah to know that she and her dad were very close. He wasn't surprised to hear that she still planned on going after him.

_* Okay. But where do you think he's headed?_

_# I don't know. What I do know is that he's not here, and I'm going after him. I know you guys said you'd take me as far as Savannah, and you have. It's okay if you don't want to come._

_- Oh shut up, you. We're best buddies, Jules. We won't leave you!_

_* Never. Maybe he's just going to the next town. _

_+ Or New Orleans. Or Texas. Or maybe back to Florida. _

_* Well wherever he's going, we can sure find out. _

Julie glanced at him, frowning slightly.

_# We can? How?_

_* Use our connections. You can sense his scent, right? Since we're just a few minutes late, the scent's bound to be strong. _

Julie was about to grin, but remembered the others hated it. Instead she nodded and made her way towards the information desk.

_- Whatcha' doing?_

Adrian hopped onto the information desk, banging his head slightly in the process. He winced slightly and hopped back down, opting to go around the desk instead.

_* Looking for something. I can't go back out there without protecting my eyes, you know. _

_+ I saw a pair of sunglasses in the shop back at the main mall._

_- Gee Carter, you're such a huge help._

_+ At least I saw a pair. Did _you_?_

Adrian giggled nervously and Carter wheezed. Vance, on the other hand, made a few practice leaps around the atrium. Julie stepped away from the desk, disappointed.

_# Nothing. Why did I get stuck with this body anyway?_

_- Hey, if you weren't twelve, I'd say your bod was slammin'. _

Carter promptly smacked Adrian on the back of the head, while Vance skidded to a stop.

_* Hey Jules? Were you the one who decapitated that Spitter on the third floor? _

Julie paused. She hadn't had time to stop and think about that; in her haste to get to her dad she had forgotten all about it.

_# Yeah. She was trying to hurt my daddy, so I killed her._

_* And it doesn't bother you the least?_

_# No. Well, not really. I didn't know who she was; all I know is that she tried to hurt my daddy. _

Vance was silent. He wondered what kind of upbringing Julie had that made her so blasé about killing. Based on what she had told him about her life with her dad, it seemed as if she and Nick spent most of their time on the road, drifting from city to city.

A normal kid couldn't have done what Julie did without feeling any remorse, and yet she could still move around without feeling any sort of guilt. Then again, Julie's eyes were looking a bit moist. Maybe she was just holding it all in.

_+ When are we leaving? I hate to sound like a damn dog, but the scent's going to fade pretty soon. We need to get going._

On cue, Vance moved towards Julie, offering her a brief respite from the sun that blazed outside. The four Special Infected walked out of the atrium, with Julie taking quick whiffs of the air. She could distinguish four different scents, but she focused on the most familiar one.

Slowly, the Hunter, the Witch, the Smoker, and the Jockey made their way out of the city and onto the highway. Surprisingly, this roadway wasn't blocked by cars, which meant that Nick and the other Survivors were further ahead than they thought.

As they passed a pickup truck, Adrian insisted they stop and try to hotwire it.

_- One of my best buds taught me how. Don't worry; I'll have this started up in no time. _

Adrian's long knobbly fingers came in handy in separating the plastic covering from the wires, and after striking the exposed copper wires together, the engine roared to life. Soon came the debate as to who would drive the truck.

Adrian insisted that he do it, since he was the one who started it up in the first place. Carter was adamant that Adrian would probably mess up and crash the truck with his over-zealousness, and Vance...Vance just wanted to get going.

Finally it was decided that Julie would stay in the cab with Vance, while Carter and Adrian would stay at the back. The latter did so rather grumpily, and jumped up and down furiously as they drove down the highway.

_* Stop jumping, Adrian! Listen, if we hotwire another damn truck, you're driving!_

Adrian's response was to rock the truck even more, which told Vance that the Jockey wasn't convinced. Vance hissed and hunched over the steering wheel. It seemed as if his body was forever molded into the crouch position, which gave him a slight hunched appearance.

_# He's still on the highway._

Julie sounded breathless. Vance glanced at her and then fixed his eyes on the road.

_* Just tell me if he veers off course. _

_# Do you still have the map with you?_

Vance nodded and fumbled with his jacket, finally pulling out the road map he had brought to Savannah from Florida. He shook it vigorously and set it on the dashboard before turning back to the road. Julie leaned forward, noting that the highway passed three towns: Rayford, Griffin County, and Charleston.

_# He could be headed to any of those places. _

_* Then we'll stop and ask for directions. _

_# If it were only that easy. _

_* Hey, you're starting to sound like Carter._

_# And my dad. He can be a real pessimist. _

Vance opened his mouth and then closed it. He really wanted to ask Julie about what happened with the Spitter in the mall, but decided against it. Julie was Julie, and whether her obvious lack of psychological trauma was due to her upbringing or something else, it wasn't his place to ask.

Besides, he had a sinking feeling that if he prodded her further, she'd end up trying to take his head off.

The sun set a few hours later, but Vance still spotted several large figures ahead of them. He frowned from beneath his hood, wondering if he was hallucinating.

_+ Are those Tanks?_

_- Hey, maybe Patrick's with them! And maybe they saw Julie's dad come this way!_

Vance slowed the truck down and stepped out. He wanted to show the Tanks that they weren't human Survivors; he certainly didn't want them getting pissed off and attacking them. One of the Tanks had spotted him and slowly ambled towards them with a gait similar to a gorilla.

_= Hey._

_* Hey back._

The Tank grunted and waved one meaty arm. _= Where you folks headed? _

_* We're looking for a group of Survivors. Seen any lately?_

_= Yeah. My pal said that his brother was killed by some black dude near Rayford. We were thinkin' of heading there for some one-on-one talk, if you know what I mean._

'_Punks,'_ Vance thought uneasily.

_* How many of them were there?_

_= About three or four, I'd say. Luke wasn't too sure at that point; he was busy makin' his way to his brother. Why? You got a score to settle with 'em? You could come along with us, if you'd like. And heck, you can drive?_

Vance glanced at the truck, where Julie, Carter, and Adrian were. All of them were watching warily.

_* Just about. Took some time to get used to though. The arms and posture of this form ain't good for handling vehicles. _

_= I'd say. I'd have gone and grabbed me a Tank, but hell, I _am_ one. _

Vance smiled at this lame attempt at a joke. _* So there are four survivors in Rayford, huh?_

_= That's what I said. _

_* Well, thanks for telling me. Good luck with your revenge killing and all. _

The Tank nodded its head and went back to its group. The other Tanks watched the truck as it sped by, and Vance noticed that Julie was glaring at them in the rear view mirror.

_* You heard? _

_+ Yeah. We'd better get there fast, otherwise there's going to be a lot of trouble._

_# Wait, let me go back and shoot that steroidal disaster._

_* Julie, we've got other things to think about. _

Julie scowled but said nothing, opting to wiggle her claws in a slightly threatening manner. Vance smiled while Adrian continued hopping on the back of the truck. When Vance asked Julie how far Rayford was, she said it was just a few minutes away. The truck suddenly sputtered and Vance met Adrian's gaze in the rear view mirror.

_- Do we have enough gas in the tank?_

_* Just about. We won't be driving through the streets of Rayford, that's for sure. _

_- Sounds good. At least we're not walking _to_ Rayford. _

_+ Yeah. I hate walking._

The truck shuddered, stalled, and then stopped.

_- Well, shit. Guess we _are_ walking. _

* * *

Survivors

"One more can in the jennie!" Ellis poured the gasoline inside the generator, ignoring the fact that he was spilling some of the liquid on his jeans. He, unlike Nick, wasn't too particular about the state of his clothes.

The conman was giving him cover fire, shooting the Infected that flowed from the vacant building in front of them. To their right was the corpse of an old man, lying inside the generator room with his head bent over. Nick had decided to borrow the guy's assault rifle (according to the other three Survivors on the bridge, the man's name was Bill) for the mean time, having lost his own gun back at the wedding pavilion.

Nick had spotted a Bride Witch that looked eerily like Keri, his ex-wife, and had pulled his assault rifle at her. Before he could fire, however, the Witch had jumped up and screamed, finally running pell-mell at him like some devilish bitch. She had then slammed into him, sending his rifle flying. Ellis and Coach had managed to kill her before she could do any major damage.

Rochelle and Coach hurried towards the two men, the latter holding another gasoline container. "Got this one fer ya."

Ellis immediately took the gas can, snapped the cap open, and poured the gasoline inside.

"We need three more!" he cried, and he and Nick hurried into Rayford Shipping. They found two more gas cans on the lawn outside the storage building, which they tossed to Rochelle and Coach.

The two had barely taken a few steps when the ground shook again, followed by a series of loud growls.

"Guys, come back!" Zoey, one of the Survivors Nick and the others had encountered in Rayford, called.

"Lead those puppies this way! I'm going to rip those Tanks up!" Louis exclaimed. He was manning a massive machine gun, which he handled quite well.

Nick, Ellis, Rochelle, and Coach followed Louis's advice and raced towards the bridge. Louis sighted the massive Infected and pulled the trigger. The machine gun sent powerful bullets into the Tank's body; this, coupled with the shots fired by the six other Survivors, quickly downed the Tank.

The Tank was dead for barely five seconds when a Jockey leaped onto Coach's back and rode him towards the incoming horde.

"Ellis? Ellis is that you? What the hell?!" Coach exclaimed, trying to shake the Jockey off of him. Coach felt himself tiring quickly, but the Jockey suddenly fell off. Louis had punched a neat hole in the Jockey's head.

"Got it!" Louis said with satisfaction.

"Louis you sure you don't want to come with us? We can leave Ellis behind!" Nick called with a snarky grin.

"Hey!" Ellis protested.

Nick laughed as he and Rochelle headed back to the lawn (she and Coach had picked up the gas cans and threw these near the generator).

"See any gas cans?" Rochelle asked him.

Nick shook his head. "I hate gas cans."

"Yeah well you'd better start liking them, because if we don't find another one soon, we're never getting out of here." Rochelle ejected an empty clip and slapped a new one home, while Nick shrugged his shoulders and cracked a crick in his neck.

It was Rochelle who spotted two more gas cans in a storage area nearby. Nick ran after her as she headed back to the generator; Ellis and Coach were helping Zoey, Francis, and Louis keep the Infected at bay.

Coach hadn't expected Nick to appear from behind the station van. He aimed his shotgun at the conman and let out a shot, accidentally hitting Nick in the arm.

"What the f-?" Nick glared at Coach, whose eyes had widened. "This is hard enough without you helping the freaks!"

"Sorry," Coach mumbled. "Didn't think you'd pass thataway."

Nick rolled his eyes and watched as Rochelle filled the generator with gasoline. Ellis punched the generator button confidently, but it still wouldn't start.

"Oh shit, I forgot! It needs 16 gas cans!" Francis called from the balcony.

"Hey Francis? Next time you 'forget' something extremely fucking important, do everyone a favor and kill yourself," Nick growled. "Two more gas cans. I can't believe this."

The Survivors were forced to search the immediate area for more gas cans. Rochelle and Nick headed back to the storage area where they found the last gas can, and this time Ellis and Coach accompanied them. Rochelle held the fifteenth gas can, while Ellis hurried up the stairs and snagged a gas can that was sitting on the metal balcony.

'_Almost done, almost done,'_ Nick chanted in his head. _'We'll be out of this shithole soon enough.'_

The four Survivors were in view of the bridge when a set of growls rose up once more. Nick could hear the Tank amidst the screams and wails of the Infected, but he didn't know how many Tanks there were until Francis swore.

"_Two_ Tanks? Oh I hate the South!" the biker raised his shotgun and fired at something behind Nick. The ground shook even more violently, and Nick turned his head to see two Tanks bearing down on him and his companions.

Nick swung the assault rifle and began shooting, while Ellis and Rochelle focused on getting the gas cans to the generator.

"Shoot the damn Tank!" Nick ordered. "Aaaah!"

Again it was Coach, who was aiming at the Infected rushing at Nick from the side, who hit the conman with the bullet spray from his shotgun.

"Oh, sorry." Coach looked sheepish.

"It's 12 feet tall, six feet wide! How the hell are you shooting _me_?" Nick cried, turning back to the two Tanks.

Once the two Tanks were in range of Louis's machine gun, however, they were as good as dead. In quick succession the first Tank fell, followed by the second. Nick grinned as the generator started and the bridge lowered.

He and his three companions headed towards the bridge, shooting at the Infected that swarmed at them from the bar and the shipping building.

Nick was busy firing at the Infected that were running towards Rochelle that he failed to notice the Smoker standing on the roof of Rayford Shipping. Only when he felt the slimy tongue wrap around him did he react.

"Shoot the tongue!" he shouted as the Smoker's grip on him tightened. "Shoot the tongue!"

Ellis sliced the Smoker's tongue in half and Nick dropped to the floor with a disgusted grunt. "Fucking hell, this shit's gross."

The Smoker's greyish tongue flopped to the floor, slick with saliva and other mysterious body fluids. Nick winced as he felt the area where the Smoker had grabbed him, but then the bridge fully lowered and he forced himself to run towards the stock car.

As he ran, he slipped the assault rifle over his shoulder.

'_Got to borrow your gun, Bill,'_ he thought. _'You're not needing it where you're going.'_

Nick slipped inside the backseat, huddling beside Rochelle, while Coach managed to squeeze himself up front. Ellis crowed jubilantly and slammed on the accelerator, sending the car rocketing forward. Ellis slowed the car just enough for them to shout their goodbyes and thanks to the three Survivors.

It was just slow enough for all of them to see a Hunter come to a screeching halt behind the wire fence, looking at them apprehensively.

* * *

Infected

'_It's Savannah all over again,'_ Julie thought as she hurried towards the port. She and the other Infected were minutes ahead of the group of Tanks, but the Tanks were able to surpass them by taking a shortcut through the town.

Julie and her companions were now on their way to the port, where it was obvious that another fight was taking place. The growls of two Tanks reached Julie's ears and she screeched. Adrian followed her onto the rooftop of a building that had the sign RAYFORD SHIPPING, and Carter joined them last.

_+ I'll try and get their attention._

Carter limped forward, while Julie scanned the scene impatiently. The scent of her dad was so strong that it seemed as if she had buried her head on his neck, which she usually did when she was still human.

Julie followed Carter over to one edge of the building, gasping as Nick ran past.

_# Daddy..._

Carter suddenly flicked his tongue out, grabbing Nick by the waist. The slimy tongue wrapped around the con man's torso, and Carter immediately started hauling Nick upwards.

_# Carter what are you doing?_

Carter didn't reply; he was too engrossed with pulling Nick upwards. Julie could see her dad clawing at Carter's tongue in an effort to free himself from the Smoker's tight grasp.

"Shoot the tongue!" Nick cried twice, and the youngest of Nick's companions, the guy in the yellow shirt, picked up a katana and sliced at Carter's tongue.

_+ Motherf-_

Carter screamed inside all of their heads and Julie stumbled back. She heard the young man mutter "Fucking hell, this shit's gross," and she silently agreed. She knew what she would see if she peered over the edge of the building: Carter's severed tongue lying in a sick, gray heap on the ground.

The bridge lowered with a deafening crash and Julie ran to the edge of the building.

"WITCH!" a familiar gruff voice said, and Julie felt herself fall to the floor. Vance had pounced on her, pinning her to the ground.

A split second later the bricks on the edge of the building exploded, as shotgun shells flew through the air above their bodies.

"Did you see that? That Hunter just pounced on the Witch!"

"I bet I got them."

"Stop being so modest, Francis."

Vance crawled over to the edge, the top of his head barely visible. He saw three Survivors standing on the balcony of the bar opposite the shipping building: one female in a dirty pink track jacket, a tall, heavily tattooed man wearing a leather biker's jacket, and a dark-skinned man in a white shirt and red tie.

The squeal of tires told them that Nick and his companions had managed to escape again. Julie struggled against Vance, but the Hunter told her to wait.

_* There's still Survivors down there. They've got guns. _

Julie glared at him but remained silent. Vance looked at her, his eyes telling her to stay where she was. He then leaped down the side of the building, just in time to see the four Survivors race past him from beyond the wire fence.

Julie's eyes followed the progress of the stock car as it raced past them. A tear slipped down her cheek again, but she blinked the rest away. She would not be a hormonal bitch, not like Lila, Keri, or her daddy's other previous girlfriends.

_+ I hate Southerners. _

Carter had recovered – albeit slightly – from his severed tongue. It was now hanging just above his chest, while Adrian was rolling on the floor laughing. Vance jumped back before the Survivors could take a shot at him and then rejoined the others on the roof.

"Think we should've gone with them to New Orleans?"

Julie and the others stilled as the Survivors entered the bar.

"Nah, we've had enough of the military."

_# Francis._

Vance turned his head to look at Julie. _* Huh?_

_# I know that biker. He was with the same gang Daddy belonged to. I met him once._

_* Do you want to-?_

_# No. We were never friends. He thought I was an irritating little girl. _

Julie paused, and then smirked. _# I threw beer at him when he told me to braid my hair._

Vance's mouth twitched. _* Full of surprises, aren't you?_

Julie turned towards him, her expression set. _# You have no idea._

* * *

**Author's Note: After one reviewer pointed out that he/she didn't see the psychologies of the Infected Survivors (thank you), I decided to plot out a four-chapter companion story that focuses on the lives of Julie, Vance, Carter, and Adrian before, during, and after the Green Flu Outbreak in Florida (similar to The Sacrifice comic, but different from the "one year before the Green Flu outbreak" scenarios I've put at the start of the next three chapters). I know I haven't been divulging a lot about their back stories, save for a few passing statements, so I decided to rectify this. However, I will be starting this after I finish this fanfic, considering I have other stories to write. :) On that note, whose story would you want to read about first? **


	10. Highway to Hell

**Highway to Hell**

Pennsylvania, a year before the Green Flu Outbreak

Vance took a deep breath. He'd been doing this stunt for years, even before he learned how to flip his BMX bike over a curve. He shouldn't be nervous.

The wall was quite high, but Vance knew that no wall was too high for him to scale.

Even as he made a run for the whitewashed graffitied wall, Vance noted several possible handholds and footholds that would help lift him up and over the obstacle. The cheers of the spectators soon died away; all Vance could hear was the sound of the wind rushing past his ears and filling the hood of his brand new black jacket (a present from his older stepbrother, Damian).

Vance grabbed on to the first handhold, scrabbling up the wall like a cat, before finally using the power of his arms to pull himself over the wall.

"Told ya he could do it," Vance's closest friend, Bluthe, declared. "Pay up!"

There were several groans from the crowd, and a couple of guys slapped some crumpled bills onto Bluthe's palm. Vance crouched on the wall, pulling the hood from his face. Bluthe gave him a thumbs up and started counting the money.

Vance soon joined his friend on the ground, unzipping his jacket and letting the wind cool him off. "How much?"

"More than enough," Bluthe answered, immediately handing Vance half of the money. "Man, you know you're sinking to an all time low if you use your hobby to earn cash."

"Nothing wrong with placing bets," Vance said defensively. "It's not like I'm stealing."

"Hey, I was joking!" Bluthe grinned and stuffed his share in the pocket of his jeans. "So, what do you say we go for some food, eh? Or are you not allowed to stuff your face for a while?"

"Eh, fuck it," Vance said and grinned back at Bluthe. "I've been dying for a cheeseburger for a long time."

It wasn't long before Vance found himself in a diner booth, watching as Bluthe openly flirted with their pretty waitress. Bluthe wasn't what society would call "handsome," but he had a certain charm about him that made him quite popular with the ladies.

Vance, in comparison, was considered "edgy and mysterious," but he spent most of his time practicing parkour and taking care of his stepmother that he couldn't find the time – or the "mood," as Bluthe liked to call it – to find a girlfriend.

"So I'll pick you up at eight?" Bluthe confirmed, ignoring the way the waitress hesitated. "It'll be my treat."

Finally the waitress nodded, although she glanced at Vance as if bursting to ask if he was coming along as well. Vance rubbed his face tiredly and tossed a couple of dollars on the table to cover his tab.

"Now I know why you wanted to eat here," Vance said once the waitress was out of earshot. "She's nice."

"Yeah, pretty ain't she? Listen, I heard that Patsy's officially single. You should-"

"No thanks, Bluthe," Vance interrupted. "Mom needs someone to look after the apartment. Damian's going to get home late, so I'm the only one who can stay there."

Bluthe rolled his eyes. It was no secret that he didn't think highly of Damian, who was a nurse on the night shift. Bluthe had even laughed himself hoarse when he heard that Damian was a nurse; a role, he said, that was previously filled by women.

"Fine, be a fucking monk," Bluthe declared irritably. "I'm just trying to make sure that all your gears are in order."

Vance laughed. "They are, don't worry."

"Watching porn and masturbating, are ya?"

Vance was spared to reply because the waitress arrived with their Cokes and a huge platter of fries. Bluthe attacked the fries, dipping them generously in ketchup, while Vance sipped his Coke.

The cheeseburgers followed after that, and all possible conversation stopped. Bluthe finished his meal first and watched Vance eat his cheeseburger. Every so often Bluthe chatted with the waitress, who was apparently more interested in Vance than her date for the evening.

Finally Vance and Bluthe stood to pay the bill, with Bluthe leaving a generous tip for the waitress. As they left, Bluthe nudged Vance and nodded towards the other end of the diner.

Patsy, Vance's former high school crush, was sitting with a couple of friends. Half-empty glasses and an unfinished waffle were on the table. Patsy looked up and for a moment, she stared directly at Vance. Then she lowered her head and Vance walked on.

Bluthe shook his head at Vance, who tried hard not to show that the encounter had greatly affected him. Once the two reached an intersection, Vance said goodbye to Bluthe, who told the parkour enthusiast that he'd call tomorrow.

"Got some guys who're confident you won't get this stunt," Bluthe called. "I told them they were dreaming."

"Thanks for having faith in my abilities," Vance grinned.

"The money speaks for itself." Bluthe patted his pocket and then sauntered off.

Vance shook his head and walked briskly towards the apartment complex where he lived with his stepmother and stepbrother. The place was near a high school, so Vance had to dodge crowds of noisy high schoolers just to reach his home.

The landlady eyed him as he made his way up the stairs, finally stopping just outside the door to his apartment. He took his key out and let himself in. The faint sound of the shower running told him that his stepmom was already bathing.

Vance kicked the door closed, yelled that he was home, and settled down in front of the couch. Damian's mint candies, which he got from one of the dentists in the hospital, were still lying on the coffee table. Vance took one and popped it in his mouth as he switched the television on.

There was nothing interesting, save for a parkour sequence in a famous film that had been released just last year. Vance stayed on the channel just long enough to note the fluid movements of Sebastien Foucan, and then flipped through the other channels until he found a game show.

"Vance?" Vance's stepmom, Danielle, walked into the room wearing her drugstore clerk's uniform. "There's fish fingers in the fridge and some beer. Help yourself, okay?"

"Sure thing Mom." Vance took out the money he had won that afternoon and pressed it on her palm.

Danielle's eyes widened and then she sighed. "Vance, I thought we talked about this. No more bets."

"Just take it," Vance insisted. "I know Dad was disappointed that I never finished going to school, but…this is where I'm happy."

Danielle shook her head and then hugged Vance. "Well your father just wanted the best for you. As do I. Just be careful."

"I will." Vance smiled at her before she resumed searching for her things. Although his stepmom was unlike other moms and stepmoms (she was rather messy, leaving her things all over the apartment), Vance was extremely fond of her. He watched her for a few moments before turning back to his television program.

Once his stepmom had found all of her things, she kissed him on the cheek and told him that she'd be back before eight the next morning. Vance assured her he'd be fine, and then locked the door behind her. Vance waited until the game show was over before heading into the small kitchen and preparing his dinner.

The fish fingers were quite hard, but tasty. Vance drank a bottle of beer while he watched a football game.

Every so often Vance's eyes wandered to the cordless telephone. He silently debated calling Patsy and asking her out on a date, but something held him back.

'_Maybe Bluthe's right_,' Vance thought with a wry smile. '_Maybe I_ am _a monk_.'

'_Or maybe_,' a small voice in his head answered, '_you're just waiting for the right girl_.'

* * *

Survivors

'_Well fuck me sideways_,' Nick thought, stepping out of the stock car.

It was an hour after their hasty departure from Rayford, and now he and the other Survivors were now on the outskirts of Griffin County. The once unblocked highway was now clogged with cars, which looked like it went on for miles.

"Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, guys, but unless Ellis knows how to drive a monster truck, we ain't driving through this," Nick declared.

Ellis bowed his head and Nick thought that the mechanic was crying. But when Ellis straightened, his eyes were dry.

"Sorry guys, guess it wasn't such a hot idea after all," Ellis apologized. "It looks like we're walkin'."

"Come off it young'un, at least we made it this far. We'll find another way to N'awlins," Coach assured the boy.

Nick rolled his eyes and snagged one of the first aid kits that they'd found in the trunk. He'd spent the ammunition in Bill's assault rifle firing at several Infected who'd tried attacking him and Ellis as the latter had stopped the stock car a few miles back to pee.

"Next time you have to go, hang it out the fucking window!" Nick had groused. Ellis had sputtered in disbelief, while Rochelle had barely concealed a grin. "I'm not stopping for another god damn bathroom break!"

Now Nick was forced to take a silenced submachine gun, while Ellis and Coach opted for the chrome shotguns. Rochelle followed Nick's cue and picked up another silenced submachine gun, surprising the rest by darting forward first.

As the three men followed her, Coach spotted the sign for a nearby amusement park, Whispering Oaks.

"Whispering Oaks!" he declared, as if Nick and the others couldn't read the sign. "Shit, I used to go there as a kid!"

"Oh good, now we can die there as adults," Nick answered with a roll of his eyes. Coach was about to retort but thought better of it. Nick was a grumpy man and Coach knew better than to pick a fight with a grumpy man.

The Survivors jumped over the cars, noting the presence of luggage that was strewn on the road. It was clear that the owners of the vehicles were now the Infected that lurked about, and the four picked the road clean as they advanced.

"Searchlights," Ellis said as they passed by an open storage truck. "That's the first sign of life we've seen in a hundred miles."

"Or maybe a corpse fell on the searchlight button," Nick countered, shooting a Spitter that was about to send a gob of acid their way. "Still, it's worth checking out."

Rochelle and Coach cleared the way. They went down the off ramp – Ellis nearly slid on a pile of corpses behind an overturned sedan – where they found an ammo pile beside a military truck. Nick had half a mind to go back and retrieve his empty assault rifle, but decided against it. He'd be wasting time, time that he could use to reach the fairgrounds.

The highway bridges were choked with Infected, and the group switched on their flashlights. Coach swung his just in time to see a Hunter pounce from behind a bramble bush. He fell painfully to the floor, feeling the Hunter's sharp claws rake at his skin.

"Hunter on Coach!" Ellis cried, raising his shotgun and firing at the Hunter's back. Rochelle rushed up at the Hunter and shoved it off, while Nick sent a brief volley of bullets at the Hunter's face. The Hunter flopped back, finally dead.

Coach stood, shaking as he brought a bottle of pain pills to his mouth and gulped them dry. "That's better."

"There's a motel up ahead," Rochelle reported. "The Whispering Oaks Motel."

"Of course, what else would it be called?" Nick followed Rochelle towards the motel, noting that like the highway, the road was blocked by a huge tanker. "Guess we're going to have to go through the motel."

The four Survivors walked to the parking lot, stopping only to check the two rooms that served as a reception room and a small dining/kitchen area, separately. Coach replenished his pain pills, while Ellis climbed the billboard that displayed an advertisement for the motel, where he was rewarded with a hunting rifle.

"One of them cars in alarmed, you guys," Ellis reported as he joined the others on the ground. "Best not shoot at it."

"Let's head up the stairs," Rochelle suggested. The four headed to the second floor, killing the Infected guests that lingered inside the rooms.

Suddenly they heard hysterical laughter and the sound of a door breaking. A Jockey hopped out of one of the rooms on the end of the hallway.

"Little guy, little guy!" Ellis raised the scope of his hunting rifle and shot at his least favorite Special Infected, while Coach and Nick took care of the three other Infected that had followed the Jockey out of the room. One of Ellis's bullets pierced the Jockey's skull, killing it.

With the zombie threat diminished, the four continued forward. They entered a motel room that had a shattered wall, using it to skirt the large gap in the floor. The Survivors passed a bathroom and then entered the next room, where Nick and Ellis passed through the open window first. Nick helped Rochelle through, while Ellis struggled to pull Coach through the opening.

After some time, Nick felt uneasy. Normally there were large groups of Infected waiting for them, but the absence of the zombie shitheads was getting on his nerves. He was about to point that out to them when they heard something breathing heavily, as well as the signature sobbing of a Witch.

"Well fuck," Nick said softly.

* * *

Infected

'_If only I weren't Infected_,' Julie thought sullenly. '_I could have enjoyed this place to the fullest_.'

Julie, Vance, Adrian, and Carter were inside the Whispering Oaks Amusement Park in Griffin County. Thanks to Vance's road map, the four Infected Survivors found a shortcut that brought them directly to the carnival.

Julie hoped that she'd meet up with her daddy soon, and after hearing Francis announce that Nick planned to travel to New Orleans, her spirits lifted. Now that she knew where her daddy was heading, she could find him as long as she and her companions didn't stay too long in one area.

The four Special Infected were going around the amusement park, with Adrian going on some of the rides just for fun.

Now they were nearing Kiddie Land, a place where cardboards of Li'l Peanut were prominently displayed. To be honest, Julie hated the stupid peanut mascot, and she was in the process of knocking down every cardboard cutout that she saw.

_- You're insane. Li'l Peanut is the greatest mascot ever!_

_# He creeps me the hell out. And I'm a Witch!_

Adrian twitched slightly and Julie used her claws to slash at another cutout. It fell to the ground in pieces, and she smiled with satisfaction.

Carter and Vance were surveying the area, noting that there were a number of Boomers, Smokers, Chargers, Hunters, Spitters, Jockeys, a couple of Tanks, and three Witches in the amusement park. Unfortunately, these Special Infected had completely succumbed to the Green Flu virus, which meant that the Infected Survivors would have to find a way out on their own.

_# I smell sugar._

_+ Must be the cotton candy. _

_- I miss cotton candy. If we could only whip up a batch and eat it…_

Julie moaned in longing. She was doing her best to resist the urge to hover around the cotton candy machine – which was inside a diner – but as they made their way past the diner, the scent of sugar hit her in full force.

_+ Vance, Jules has that look in her eyes._

Vance turned around and, seeing Julie walk dazedly into the diner, pounced after her. He pinned her to the floor, hissing. Julie's Witchy temper flared up and she attempted to swipe at him with her claws.

_* Nick. _

That word managed to break through Julie's anger and she stilled. The sugar was so close, but Julie knew if she gave in to her sudden desire for the sweet ingredient, she would never leave the amusement park.

_# Sorry._

_* Don't sweat it. I think you should try to control your urge, though._

_# I was, but the sugar..._

_* Stop. _

Julie tried hard not to scowl at the Hunter. Even in the gloom of the diner, she could see the heat emanating from Vance's body, like someone had traced a yellow outline around him. Finally she nodded and Vance got off of her. Julie forced herself to turn away from the cotton candy and joined Carter and Adrian outside while Vance walked behind her just to make sure that she wouldn't change her mind.

Carter was still grumbling about how one of Nick's companions had cut off nearly half of his tongue. Whenever the Smoker coughed, it sounded like he had had a huge amount of Novocain injected inside his mouth.

_- Damn that thing cracks me up. _

Adrian grinned as Carter shot him a dirty look. Vance and Carter spotted a spray painted sign for a safe house on the wall just outside the diner, which led them to an alley and a couple of storage rooms.

_+ Looks like we're going to have to go up on the roof. _

_- Why don't you do a frog and use your tongue to haul yourself…oh wait, I forgot. You don't have a tongue anymore. _

_+ I'll kill you, you son of a bitch._

Adrian giggled and hopped away from Carter, who was considerably slower due to his awkward limp.

_* Cut it out, you guys. Let's just get to the roof and see where the safe room is. Maybe we can corner Nick and force him to look at Julie._

_+ Yeah, provided that they're not busy shooting a god damn horde._

_- What's that got to do with anything? If they're there, it's easy to have Julie go up to him without crying and point to her locket!_

Carter coughed. _+ Because if they're busy killing Infected, what do you think their automatic response will be when they see_ us?

_- Well aren't you just Little Miss Smartass._

_+ I thought that was your job._

While Adrian and Carter bickered, Vance and Julie led the way to the roof. The path led to a slide, but the Infected Survivors decided to take the access stairs beside the slide. Another spray painted sign was on the wall, which led them to the carousel.

_* I think one of us should stay here and keep an eye out for Nick._

_- I'll do it! I've always wanted to run a carousel._

Carter rolled his eyes, excreting some gummy fluid from his eyes.

_- The fuck is that?_

_* Adrian. Stop picking on Carter._

The Smoker smacked the Jockey as the latter hopped past.

_# If you see my daddy, please don't jump on his back._

_- I won't. I'm not gay._

_+ Could have fooled me._

_- Hey, I wasn't the one who gave her dad some tongue!_

Vance broke up the argument before it could escalate, reminding Adrian not to approach the Survivors, but instead come and get them. Adrian nodded and watched as the three climbed over the railing and into the safe room, which was inside the Tunnel of Love. Carter grudgingly helped Adrian over the railing and then turned away.

His companions were gone for a half hour when Adrian's ears picked up the sound of gunfire.

'_They're her_e,' Adrian thought. He hopped towards the railing and saw the four Survivors shoot at a massive Tank.

Wherever they had gone, Nick and his companions looked positively brow-beaten. Adrian hesitated for a few more seconds before hopping towards the Tunnel of Love, feeling just like Paul Revere.


	11. Rock of Ages

**Rock of Ages**

Pennsylvania, a year before the Green Flu Outbreak

Adrian rolled over in bed and slapped the annoying alarm clock. It gave a feeble ring and then was still. Adrian murmured sleepily and tried to go back to the dream he was having, one where he was frolicking naked in a swimming pool full of Victoria's Secret models.

Unfortunately, Adrian's roommates weren't known for being subtle. Seconds after the alarm went off, they barged in and threw wads of wet tissue at him.

"Fuck you," Adrian growled, burying himself deeper beneath the covers.

"Come on, Adrian! You got to wake up sometime!"

Adrian's response was to turn around and cover his head with the pillow. But even that was yanked away from him, forcing him to sit up and make a vain swipe at it.

"Go to hell, you freaks," Adrian muttered as his roommates grinned impishly at him. He found that once he was awake, it was damned hard to go back to sleep again.

Sullenly leaving behind the dreamland where he was surrounded by lingerie models, Adrian threw on his usual rugged outfit and raked his hand through his hair a few times. He had study group (which he planned to skip) and Literature 106 that morning, but he ended up bringing his notebook for Physics 24.

"Oh fuck," Adrian sighed as he noticed the mix up. The girl sitting beside him heard what he said, and she looked over at him.

"Not one of those days, huh?" she asked with a small smile.

"Maybe not," Adrian replied with a meaningful look. "Maybe I was supposed to leave the notebook behind so that you'd look over and talk to me."

The girl laughed and Adrian managed to read the name on the front of her binder: Hallie Christensen. "Is that a line or something? Because that's the first time I've heard it."

Adrian shrugged and shook his hair away from his face. "I don't do lines. I prefer going all natural. Makes things more interesting, Hallie."

Hallie tilted her head as a confused expression came over her face. "How did you know my name? I don't think I've ever told you that."

"I remembered," Adrian lied, knowing that girls liked it when guys remembered some obscure fact about them. "First day of roll call."

"Oh wow, you actually remembered?" Hallie looked pleased. "Well for formality's sake, it's Hallie Christensen."

Adrian told her his name just before their professor walked in. Throughout the rest of the period, Adrian and Hallie exchanged notes, writing messages on the back pages of their notebooks. Thankfully their professor didn't notice, which was most likely due to the large dude sitting in the row in front of them.

When the bell rang, both Adrian and Hallie hardly knew anything about how Mark Twain showed mood in "Huckleberry Finn," but they knew a lot about each other.

One of Adrian's roommates spotted him walking with Hallie and had demanded to know the details. When Adrian was finished, his roommate moaned longingly.

"Man, how do you get all the hot chicks? It's like you have a talent for it or something!"

"Probably because I look like a young Brad Pitt?" Adrian suggested with a cocky grin. "You just got to know what makes them tick."

"And you'll tell me, right?"

Adrian snorted. "You wish. Do your damn homework, buddy."

Adrian ignored his roommate's string of curse words as he walked down the hallway and outside the main building. He tucked his notebook under his arm and decided to head to the convenience store just off campus.

He remembered he was going low on snacks – some of which fell prey to his roommate's insatiable appetites – and since his mom and dad were still away and wouldn't be able to send him homemade food, he knew he needed to find food that could keep his hunger satiated until they did.

Since most students were still in class, the convenience store was almost empty. Most of the customers were freshmen and seniors, but there were several professors as well.

Adrian headed to the snack aisle and snagged bags of cheese Doritos and three cans of sour cream Pringles. To satisfy his sweet tooth, he dropped in bars of Milky Way, Hersheys dark chocolate, and Three Musketeers.

Adrian didn't know why he liked the sugary stuff so much; he guessed he'd end up becoming a fat old geezer with a shotgun when he grew up. But Adrian didn't think about that often. As long as he had his gym membership, his fast metabolism, and an appetite for sweets, he didn't plan on slowing down.

The line at the cash register was short, and before long Adrian was heading back to his dorm room. He nodded at several people whom he knew and stomped up the stairs to the dormitory. The main lobby was full of chattering students, some of whom had clapped headphones over their ears to drown out the noise of the conversation around them.

Adrian saw that there were some new faces in the crowd and grinned when a girl he had never seen before did a double take when he passed by her on the stairs.

Adrian reached his dorm room without any trouble and kicked it open, only to see one of his roommates making out with his girlfriend.

"Hey, get a room!" Adrian set the bags of snacks he was carrying, taking a few seconds to admire the girl's round ass and plump breasts, which she quickly covered with a blanket. "In case you didn't notice, Tyler, you're not the only guy in this fucking room!"

"Yeah, like you don't bring your dates over," Tyler retorted, standing in front of the girl as she hurriedly pulled her jeans on. "You're such a hypocrite."

"Sticks and stones, man. Sticks and stones."

"Whatever. I don't have time for your Mark Twain shit," Tyler grumbled, grabbing his girlfriend by the wrist and pulling her out the door.

Adrian walked over to the door, which had slammed shut behind Tyler, and locked it. Almost immediately he grabbed a couple of Three Musketeers bars and ate them while taking out a roll of tape and sticking the clear adhesive to the hook switch.

Whenever someone would call, the phone would continue ringing even if the handset was picked up. Adrian chuckled at the thought of what his roommates would look like when this happened, and if they actually had the brains to check if the hook switch had been taped down.

_When in doubt, pull a prank_, Adrian thought, fishing out another chocolate bar. _Let the fun begin_.

* * *

Infected

The stadium was pooling with Infected. It was as if the Green Flu outbreak had reached Whispering Oaks during the first night of the Midnight Riders concert: Vance, Carter, and Julie saw that the entrance was practically choked with Infected.

The posters that featured the members of the band still hung on the sides of the stadium and rippled whenever a breeze passed through. Vance scouted the way, while Carter and Julie slowly walked forward.

Julie could hear the cries of a Witch and she blinked. Her eyes were teary from the klieg lights, but she was getting used to the feeling. It was only when she was out in sunlight did she find it unbearable.

_+ Hey, why do Witches cry, anyway?_

_# I've never thought about that. But I guess...I guess it's because we get affected really easily._

_+ Oh yeah? You didn't seem affected when you killed that Spitter back at the mall. _

_# That's different. The Spitter wasn't human anymore. _

_+ Someone's making up excuses._

Julie screeched and Carter backed off, nearly tripping into one of the tents.

_* Carter, I really don't think it's a good idea to piss off the Witch._

_+ Yeah, I think I understand that part. _

_* Then why did you ask her?_

_+ Because I was curious. Geez, can't I be curious once in a while?_

_# Doesn't really suit you, Cart._

Carter coughed. _+ Why the hell did you call me 'Cart'?_

_# Everyone's got to have a nickname. _

Carter stared at Julie for a while, until the girl's red-eyed stare (or glare, the Smoker wasn't sure which) unnerved him. He looked away, missing the devilish grin that came over Julie's face as he did so.

Vance was leaping across the tents, his claws tearing the fabric every time he landed on one. Finally he managed to get on the rooftop of the nearby barn, where he landed on a Witch.

The Witch had been rocking back and forth close to one of the aluminium ladders that had been propped up against the roofs, probably to provide cleaners access. As soon as Vance landed within the Witch's peripheral vision, the Special Infected made a blood-curdling screech and leapt to its feet.

_* Shit shit shit shit shit!_

Vance leaped far away from the Witch, which continued to growl menacingly at him. But for some reason, the Witch didn't attack the Hunter...for a few more seconds.

Just when Vance thought the Witch would ignore him, the pale-haired female Infected rushed straight at him.

_# Vance!_

Julie was making her way onto the roofs when the Witch attacked; she clambered over several cement blocks that had been stacked on the side of the barn and reached the roof just in time to see Vance topple over the side of the building.

Julie raised her arms and screamed, attracting the attention of the other Witch. The two Witches stared at each other for a split second before Julie, spurred on by the sudden rage that filled her entire being, rushed at the Witch.

The Witch copied her and the two crashed into each other in the middle of the rooftop. Julie's claws sliced through the air and met feverish skin. At the same time, Julie felt a similar sensation on her torso. But the pain was nearly blocked out by the anger that she felt and she continued to slash at the Witch.

One advantage that Julie had over the Witch was that she could think. Before the Witch could deliver a second blow, Julie used her speed to dodge the blow and deliver another, more fatal blow. The Witch fell to the ground with a sharp cry, lank blonde hair covering a pale face.

Julie shook back her hair and moved to the side of the roof. Vance was nowhere to be found; by now Carter had joined her and was staring down at the dead Witch.

_+ And _that_ doesn't bother you?_

Julie shook her head. _# I'm a twisted twelve year old._

_+ I'll say. Hey, where's Vance?_

_* Right here. _

Vance leaped into view with a shrill cry, causing Julie and Carter to hiss at him. Vance blinked, although the action went unseen due to the hood that was covering his face. Julie wiped the blood on her torso: the wounds weren't deep, but were deep enough to cause bleeding.

+ Someone needs to use a first aid kit.

# Tell me where to find one and I will.

Vance leaped off over the side of the roof again. He had seen a first aid kit near one of the trailers and brought it back to Julie. She took it from him gratefully and started bandaging herself up. Vance was surprised that she knew how to administer medicine and wrap a bandage that helped her staunch the bleeding, but then again, she did grow up in a violent neighborhood. She surely had some experience taking care of her dad whenever he came home with bruises.

Once Julie was done, she dropped the now empty first aid kit and looked at them expectantly.

_+ So where to now?_

Vance glanced at the Witch and then at Julie's bloodied claws before replying. He suggested that they get inside the stadium and see what they could find; since there was nothing more to see in the carnival besides several stands and attractions, he thought that Nick and the other Survivors would end up there.

_+ Plus of course there's a helicopter approaching. _

_* Yeah, that too. _

The dull hum of helicopter blades thrummed in their ears, and for a moment Julie felt a flush of hope. Maybe she was supposed to meet her daddy here. In a dark carnival.

Julie noticed that Vance and Carter were already on their way off the roof. She followed them at a quicker pace, which caused her to streak past them and end up at the abandoned ticket booths first.

_+ Someone's excited._

_* She just moves faster than us. _

Carter shrugged while Julie turned her head in the direction of the group of Infected that were standing just beyond the entrance gates.

_# They're going to give my daddy a problem. _

Vance followed Julie's gaze and sighed. _* Yeah. Nothing we can do about it, though. _

Julie turned away from the horde, frowning, and faced her companions. _# How are we getting in?_

_* I can see some handholds on the concrete. We can just use that to climb up the wall and into the stadium. _

As Special Infected, Carter, Vance, Julie, and even Adrian had heightened senses that helped them see things the naked eye couldn't. And since they had claws, the three didn't find it difficult to climb up the wall and clamber over the top.

The stadium, like the fairgrounds, was full of Infected. The Hunter, the Witch, and the Smoker made their way down the bleachers, finally ending up at the stage. The Midnight Riders had already set-up their equipment, but due to the sudden arrival of the Green Flu outbreak in Griffin County, they were forced to leave their instruments behind.

_* I love the Midnight Riders._

_+ Didn't peg you for a rock n' roll fan, Vance. Oh wait, they're not even considered as musicians._

_* Don't start, Carter. _

_# But he's right. These guys suck. I think they even lip sync. _

Vance hissed and leaped away from the two. Carter rolled his eye – the one that wasn't covered by a greasy tumor – and limped over to the guitars that had been propped up on the center stage.

_* I'm playing the solo!_

Julie whipped her head in the direction of the console. Vance had his finger poised above the panel and Julie shook her head.

_# Bad idea._

_* Why? If we start the finale we will definitely get the attention of your dad! And the helicopter pilot. _

_# And all the Infected in the fairgrounds. There's a huge group of them standing outside, and if we start the finale _all _of the Infected are coming this way. Daddy won't be able to make it through that. _

Vance stilled. _* You got a point._

_+ She's got ten really sharp points._ Carter nodded at Julie's claws, which now had dried bloodstains on them.

_* So what do we do now?_

_# Just wait for them. Unless you want to go out there and –_

Julie paused, hearing a Jockey's maniacal laugh. She turned and saw a Jockey hopping down the bleachers, followed by a Tank.

_- Guys! They're here! And shit, guys, run! I got a Tank on my ass!_

_+ We can see that! What did you do, fart on its face?!_

Julie raised her arms but Vance pulled her away.

_* No, no time! Just run!_

The four Infected Survivors raced off the stage and up the other side of the stadium. On the other side of the wall was a vast field, and Carter nearly climbed up the wall in his haste. Adrian pulled him back at the last second and Carter stumbled to the side, managing to hold on to one of the metal barriers.

The Tank roared its displeasure and raised its meaty fists at them.

_*What the hell is wrong with him? Usually we don't attack our own kind!_

_- Not exactly. I saw several Infected in full bitch fight mode on my way here._

_# That's really helpful, but what are we going to do with the Tank?_

Vance stilled, assuming his attack position. Julie turned from him to the Tank, which had its eyes narrowed and its gaze fixed on them.

_* Just jump to the side when I say so._

_+ Are you crazy?_

Vance hissed and a second later yelled at them to jump to the side. He had expected the Tank to come at them at full speed (or as fast a Tank could charge when on 'Infected Hulk' mode) and decided to lead the Tank over the edge of the stadium.

His little plan worked: the Tank was moving too fast for it to stop, and ended up smashing through the concrete wall, leaving a Tank-shaped hole. The Tank landed with a loud thud and growled no more.

_* Well, that worked._

_+ Great. Now if we could just meet up with Julie's dad, everything is going to be perfect._

_- This isn't a movie, Carter. We all know we've got a long trek ahead of us before we even cross the finish line._

_+ Speak English, why don't you, kid?_

Adrian giggled before replying._ - What I mean is I don't think we're going to get to meet them yet. _

_# What made you say that?_

_- Because one, life is never easy. And two, they're most likely not going to get past that horde outside. _

Julie screeched. _# Not if I can help it. _

* * *

Survivors

Coach grunted as the Jockey rode him off the Screaming Oak. He felt the wind whistle past his ears, which was drowned out by the sudden pain that sliced through his leg as he landed on his ankle, twisting it.

"Help! I'm down!" Coach cried, trying in vain to elude the Infected that were kicking at him with furious abandon. "Somebody get over here and help me!"

Coach fired his pistol at some of the Infected, but for every zombie he downed, three more took its place. He could feel his vision darken and the stabbing pain subside, but he refused to surrender to the darkness.

He didn't come all this way to die in some carnival...

Ellis slid down the access ladder and shot at the Infected that surrounded Coach, sniping the Jockey that had ridden his comrade off the coaster, firing two shots in quick succession. The Jockey dropped to the ground, giving Ellis time to help Coach to his feet.

"Come on Coach, t'ain't nothin'," Ellis said, heaving the much heavier man to his feet. Nick was covering the two from the top of the coaster, while Rochelle had positioned herself on the access ladder, choosing her shots carefully. "Let's get you on your feet."

Ellis wrapped Coach's arm around his shoulders and the two made their way towards Rochelle.

"Here, I picked this up for you," Rochelle said, tossing a bottle of pain pills to Coach.

"Thanks." Coach gulped the pills down. Rochelle then climbed back on the coaster, followed by Coach and Ellis.

"Come on come on come on!" Nick called, slapping a full clip into his assault rifle. "We don't have time for sightseeing!"

The Survivors wound their way down to the starting point of the ride, and Ellis ran to the control booth and shut off the alarm. The Infected still poured towards them, and Nick and Ellis took defensive positions on the bridge that ran across the coaster tracks. It was there where Coach patched himself up, snagging an extra first aid kit that had been lying on the ground.

"Safe room up ahead!" Rochelle led the way down to the safe room, which seemed to be a small queue booth close to the fairgrounds.

Another collective wail rose up, but this time it was due to the sudden arrival of Clown Infected, their squeaking shoes an annoying alarm for their undead bretheren.

"I hate clowns," Ellis muttered, swinging his sniper rifle in the direction of the bridge, where the Infected were climbing over to reach them.

"Just get in the god damn safe room!" Nick grabbed Ellis by the scruff of his shirt collar and nearly pushed the mechanic inside. Coach slammed the safe door closed and Rochelle slid the bar over it. "At least I made it!"

"Ugh." Rochelle rolled her eyes and made her way over to the ammo pile that was near a pile of empty boxes. "Next time let's not take a roller coaster, okay?"

"Hey, the Screaming Oak is the coolest!" Ellis said defensively. "If there weren't any zombies, I'm sure you guys would have wanted another go."

"Yeah well since there are those shitfaces out there, I think I'll pass on the second run." Nick rolled his shoulders and picked up several clips that he slipped in his pants pocket. "So we're going to the stadium, huh? Anyone want to bet that-"

"NO!" the other three Survivors shouted.

"Come on Nick, don't jinx it," Coach chided him. "We just have to get in. I got an idea."

Nick shrugged. He personally didn't think much of Coach's plans; so far they only managed to get into one close scrape after another. Nick was also painfully aware that each minute they spent, the lower the chances that he would see his daughter again were getting.

'_If only I had a picture of her_', Nick found himself thinking. But he knew why he didn't have one: he wasn't like other dads who kept a complete photo album in their wallets. Hell, he was with her 24/7, so he never saw the need to keep a photo of her with him.

Now however, he was regretting it. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed as Coach opened the safe room door. Gunshots rang through the air as Coach killed several Infected that were standing close by.

Snapping the safety off his assault rifle, Nick followed Rochelle out. The reporter turned her head towards him. "She's fine."

Rochelle walked off before Nick could say anything else; she seemed to understand that Nick wasn't the type who talked about his feelings much.

And he was grateful to her for that.

* * *

**Author's Note: Apologizing for the delay; I spent the last two weeks at the office and had only time to squeeze in one fanfic plus several Left 4 Dead 2 playing sessions. :) **


	12. Midnight Riders Finale

**Midnight Riders Finale**

Florida, a year before the Green Flu Outbreak 

"Carter, you ready for this?"

Carter looked up to see his business colleague, Phil Marchbanks, grin at him from the door to his office.

"I was born to do this," Carter boasted, picking up the stack of folders that carried the financial reports they would need for the presentation. "I just hope they're ready to be flattened."

Carter and Phil were getting ready for a meeting that would decide the fate of the bank they were both working for; the two were college chums who eventually entered the same bank, albeit at different times. As a result, Carter ended up becoming Phil's superior despite them having graduated at the same time.

It was awkward at times, and Carter never let Phil forget it.

Carter adjusted his tie and cleared his throat, while Phil opened the door to the meeting room. The representatives of the company who were threatening to sue the bank for supposedly "misplacing" the funds that they had deposited were all there, smug smiles on their faces and cups of steaming coffee in front of them.

"Now we can start."

Carter and Phil's boss, Mr. Owens, was standing at one corner of the meeting room. The representatives all opened the folders in front of them while Carter and Phil set up. Carter knew it would take them hours to deal with the problem, and he was right.

By the time the meeting was done, the representatives' egos were severely bruised and Mr. Owens had the satisfaction of calling the bank's lawyer to tell him to stay on the case.

"I loved the way you produced their financial statements, Carter," Mr. Owens praised, while Phil locked up the meeting room. "The looks on their faces was priceless. Good job."

Carter smirked. "All in a day's work."

"Well you and Phil take the rest of the day off. You've earned it."

'_Yeah, considering it's seven in the evening,' _Carter thought, biting back a sneer. Mr. Owens clapped him on the back again before disappearing into his office.

"Drink?" Phil asked, trying not to look too sullen. He'd expected to get a fair share of the glory, but as always, Carter soaked it all up like a greedy sponge.

"I'll pass. Got someone waiting for me."

"Oh. Is this the exotic dancer we saw last week?"

"Nope. Someone new." Carter pushed the door open to his office and retrieved his jacket. "See you on Monday, killer."

Phil waved him away and Carter grinned. How he liked to see Phil squirm. He knew he shouldn't, but Phil wasn't exactly a saint towards him when they were in college. Carter was just returning the favor.

Carter rode the elevator down to the parking lot, where he got into his car. He sent a quick message to his date – who _was _the exotic dancer Phil was referring to – to tell her that he was on his way.

Traffic was pretty light and he reached the restaurant in a few minutes.

"Carter, you're late."

Anja was a Russian dancer whom he had bumped into in a bar last week. The two had hit it off, much to the chagrin of Phil, who had seen her first. Carter didn't waste any time: by the end of the week, he had slept with Anja numerous times.

But whenever she started steering the conversation towards moving in together, Carter changed the subject.

He wasn't ready for commitment. His career was booming and he wanted to enjoy a few flings before he looked for the woman he planned on spending the rest of his life with.

No matter how much he liked Anja, he didn't see himself being tied to her for the rest of his life.

"I sent you a message," Carter told her, kissing her on the cheek before sitting down. "I hope you didn't order anything yet."

"No, I was waiting for you," Anja said. "I know you want us to eat at the same time."

"Which is the whole purpose of eating out," Carter replied swiftly. "Anja, I need to talk to you."

"Is this about me moving in with you?"

Carter winced at the eagerness in her voice, but he steeled himself for what he had to say. He'd better nip it in the bud before things got serious.

"No, it's the opposite, actually. Anja, I've loved spending time with you."

"So do I," Anja agreed with a smile. "The past week has been the best of my life."

"But I think we need to start seeing other people," Carter finished, as if she hadn't spoken.

Anja stilled. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, during which Carter spotted an attractive brunette over by the bar. He made a quick mental note of her before turning back to Anja.

"Are you…are you breaking up with me?" she hissed, leaning forward. "Here?"

"Would you prefer it if I do it over the phone?"

Anja's eyes narrowed. Before Carter could do or say anything, she stood and slapped him.

The patrons sitting at the nearby tables stopped and looked at the drama unfold. Anja then launched into a shrieking tidal wave of feminine emotion, most of which was in Russian. By the time she was done, the entire restaurant was watching silently.

"And I hope you choke on your own tongue!" Anja cried, before storming out of the restaurant. As soon as the door swung shut behind her, the restaurant came alive once more, but this time with furious whispers.

Carter tried not to look too affected and he ordered his dinner shortly after. While he waited for his food, he noticed that the brunette was looking at him. Carter smiled at her, which she returned reluctantly.

After a few seconds of constant eye-to-eye contact, she hopped off the bar stool she was sitting on and made her way to his table. "Is this seat taken?"

"I'm sure you and the rest of the people here know that it isn't. Not anymore."

"What did you do to her?"

"I just told her to stop stalking me and bother someone else," Carter lied. "She didn't take the news well."

"Apparently not. I hope she hasn't given other women a bad name."

"She hasn't. Are you thinking of rectifying that?"

That made her smile. "Maybe."

"Well, we should start by telling our names." Carter told her his, and he learned that she was Taylor Saunders.

Carter's dinner came, and he offered to pay for hers. She refused, saying that she had already eaten. They spent the rest of Carter's meal talking, which ended with him inviting her outside for a smoke.

"Now this is different," Taylor commented as they stood on the sidewalk. Carter exhaled, feeling the soothing sensation of the smoke unfurl from his lips. "Usually guys offer to take me to their apartment."

"I'm not like most guys," Carter said.

"Thank god for that," Taylor whispered. "I was afraid you were the guy who was only interested in flings."

'_Baby, you don't know shit,' _Carter thought.

* * *

Survivors

The fairgrounds may have been devoid of life, but it was certainly full of the undead. Zombies flew at the four Survivors minutes after they had left the safe room.

Ellis wasn't sure about his other companions, but he was getting an adrenaline rush from fighting the Infected. Maybe it was because he was getting to do what he had wanted to do since he had picked up his first hunting rifle, or maybe it was because he had just taken an adrenaline shot to the leg, he wasn't sure.

Nor did he care.

He was just focused on aiming and shooting the sons-of-bitches to smithereens. He felt a cheer rise up from his throat whenever he made a particularly nice kill, although he noticed that Nick, Coach, and Rochelle weren't as gung-ho about the whole killing thing.

Ellis couldn't help but feel elated: he had the whole carnival to himself, he'd just ran the tracks of the Screaming Oak, and now he was heading to the Peach Pit Stadium to try and get the attention of the helicopter pilot.

Hopefully the equipment of the Midnight Riders was still there so that he could rock out.

While Ellis's mind was going all over the place, Rochelle and Nick were just fixed on staying alive. As they passed a "Test Your Strength" game (with Moustachio as the star character), Nick accidentally fired a shot that caused the bell to give off a shrill ring.

The other Survivors winced as the signature wail of the Infected rose around them.

"You can lay that on me," Nick said coolly, as if he hadn't just alerted another horde their way. Coach grunted, Ellis grinned, and Rochelle slapped a new clip into her assault rifle.

The first few Infected that flowed towards them from the bumper cars were shot down, with some of the Survivors' bullets hitting the metal cars and ricocheting across the metal surfaces. Nick adjusted the sight of his assault rifle and fired at a Boomer that was waddling out of sight behind one of the bumper cars. The bullet passed through the Boomer, causing it to explode in a spout of blood and guts.

Nick and the other Survivors slowly shot their way towards the bumper cars, with Ellis delivering the final killing shot at an Infected wearing a janitor's uniform.

"I sure hope there's an ammo dump on the otha side," Coach huffed as he climbed up the ramp. Nick and Ellis opted to hoist themselves up and over the metal railings, while Rochelle followed Coach. "I'm as good as empty."

"Yeah, me too," Ellis nodded. "Now if Nick here hadn't shot the bell, we wouldn't have had to use all our bullets."

"It was an accident, Ellis," Rochelle spoke up defensively. "We all make mistakes."

Ellis bit his lip but said nothing. Nick rolled his eyes and walked across the small bumper car arena. The floor made a dull metallic echo as he walked, but it didn't seem loud enough to attract any of the fuckers.

There was a small access door at the back, which allowed them to skirt past the bumper cars. A row of tall hedges greeted them, as well as a gaggle of Infected. Coach slung his shotgun on his back and used a nearby crowbar to bash their brains in. Blood splatters formed on his shirt, which he wiped away with his hand.

"The stadium's not far! We're almost there!" Coach cried, elated. "We'll soon be outta here!"

"If his plan works," Nick muttered in an undertone. Rochelle, who was standing near him, heard what the conman said but didn't say anything.

The stadium was separated from the rest of the fair by a low brick wall and a high metal gate, which wound around the structure. As Nick and the other Survivors passed by, they saw the crowd of Infected that were milling around the entrance of the Peach Pit.

"Well fuck me sideways." Nick ran a hand through his hair and scowled. "We're going to need a tank to get through that horde."

"Don't say 'tank' Nick," Ellis said with wide eyes. "We ain't sure if there's a real tank nearby."

Nick was about to tell Ellis off with a sarcastic remark when they heard Coach yell from behind one of the tents. This was followed by a harsh roar and they all felt the ground shake beneath their feet.

"Oh come ON!" Nick yelled in angry disbelief. "What are the odds?!"

The Tank lumbered out from behind the hedges. It spotted the Survivors at once and lumbered towards them, roaring.

"Why can't that thing be on _our _side?" Rochelle griped, raising her assault rifle and firing at the Tank. Several plumes of blood exploded but that didn't slow the massive Infected one bit. Ellis shuffled slowly backwards, using the scope of his sniper rifle to fire bullets at the Tank's head.

Nick and Coach tried dancing around the Tank, but the latter was too slow to avoid the meaty fist that came flying through the air. Coach was slammed against the wall, which knocked the breath out of him. He groaned and raised his head. "Man, they beat me up good."

"Coach you okay?" Rochelle ejected the clip and slapped in her last one. "Somebody find a Molotov!"

"On it!" Ellis called. He'd just run out of bullets for his sniper rifle and he certainly didn't want to attack the huge son-of-a-bitch with the cricket bat he saw lying a few feet away from him. Still, the mechanic picked up the said melee weapon and ducked back inside the bumper car area, searching frantically for a Molotov.

"Jesus, this thing's pounding me to death!" he heard Coach cry amidst the roars of the Tank. The steady staccato of gunfire continued, but Ellis knew that Nick and Rochelle were running out of time – and bullets.

Amidst the Tank's roars, he heard the hair-raising scream of a Witch. Almost immediately the hairs on his arms stood straight up and he barely repressed a shudder.

"Hang in there Coach," Ellis murmured, finally spotting a Molotov lying beside one of the bumper cars. Ellis nearly stumbled as he ran back to his companions, flicking a match and lighting the Molotov as he did so.

"Throw it!" Nick ordered; the conman was in the process of reloading, while Rochelle was firing at the Tank in short bursts. Ellis carefully aimed the Molotov before throwing it. His aim proved true: the bottle smashed against the back of the Tank, immediately setting it on fire.

Coach was hunched over in front of the Tank and he was stirring feebly. Ellis felt dread wash over him, but he refused to give in to it.

_'Coach can't die, he's the strongest of us,' _Ellis thought, his forehead creasing. Without knowing what he was doing, Ellis unsheathed the cricket bat from his back, raised it over his head, and ran towards the Tank, which was in the process of falling onto its knees.

"Get away from Coach!" he cried, smashing the cricket bat against the side of the Tank's head. The Tank roared and then keeled forward, dead at last.

"Coach! Hey, you okay?" Ellis asked, dropping the cricket bat on the ground and leaning over the older man. "Come on, you've survived harder knocks than this."

"I…guess…" Coach spluttered, opening one bloodied eye. "Man why did I…ever leave Savannah?"

Ellis heard Nick sigh loudly and felt Rochelle crouch down beside him.

"Let's get you all patched up, old man," she kidded him, her thin fingers applying medicine on Coach's wounds and covering these in bandages. "There."

"Thanks fo' that," Coach said, smiling at her.

"Anytime, Coach. We're not letting you die on us." Rochelle smiled back at the man she had come to consider as an older brother and stepped back as Ellis and Nick helped Coach onto his feet.

"She's right. None of us can do what you can do, Coach," Ellis agreed, while Nick made a sort of shifty twitch that could have been a nod or a shrug. For a moment they stared at each other for a while, but as always, it was Nick who broke the silence by wondering out loud what pushed Ellis to attack a Tank with a…

"…goddamn cricket bat," Nick said, eyeing Ellis in disbelief. "I know you're crazy, kid, but not _that _batshit crazy."

"He was poundin' Coach to the ground, in case you didn't notice, Nick," Ellis retorted, retrieving the cricket bat from the ground.

"Don't rag on the poor boy, Nick," Coach scolded the conman. "At least he was doin' his part."

Nick's mouth was a tight line. Finally: "Hey, did you guys hear that Witch? I thought one of you guys startled her."

"Yeah, so did I," Ellis admitted, nodding. "Wouldn't that be something though? Facing a Witch and a Tank at the same time?"

"Nightmare," Rochelle put in.

Coach grunted. "Whatever happened, it made the Tank back off me. If that thing had pounded me one more time, I'd be a goner fo' sure."

The others were silent. Coach looked at his other companions for a while before he headed towards the gap in the hedges. The Peach Pit Stadium loomed up at them; they were now separated from it by a tall, metal grill – and a seemingly endless sea of Infected.

* * *

Infected 

Julie stalked past the concessionaire stands, her dark hair flying behind her. Adrian and Carter were still in the stadium, while Vance leaped alongside her as they searched for the safe room.

# _What's taking them so long? They should be here by now. _

* _You saw the horde outside, Jules. You know what's taking them so long. _

Julie screamed at him; her temper was rising to the surface easily nowadays. Vance hissed and screeched back at her before the two of them managed to get a grip of their Infected tendencies.

- _Hey, what's going on in there? Don't tell me you two are arguing! Aw, isn't that cute? Julie and Vance, screeching in the Pit, K-I-S-S-I-N-G_.

+ _They're screeching _and_ kissing? Your logic is irrational_.

- _They're screeching while they're kissing, you loose lip_!

Julie screamed again; this time, her scream carried outside the Peach Pit and onto the fairgrounds.

- _Whoa, anger management issues much, Jules?_

Julie rolled her eyes and moved towards the back. She was about to declare the area useless when Vance spotted the faded red door.

* _They'll pass through here. Should we wait outside or what?_

# _We wait inside_. Julie reached through the bars that had been welded across the opening of the safe room door and felt a heavy pipe barricading the door. With a powerful pull, Julie lifted the pipe and tossed it onto the floor, where it made a metallic clang as it collided with the concrete. Julie pushed the door open and stepped inside, noting the table that had several weapons on it, as well as an ammunition stash.

_* Jules, I don't think this is a good idea._

_# My daddy is coming through that door any second. If I can thin the horde out for him, then he won't…_

* _Listen to me, Jules! If you go outside and kill the Infected, you'll be covered in blood. What do Survivors do with Witches that are covered in blood? You need to think of another way!_

_# There is no other way! I have to help him!_

Julie wrenched her wrist away from Vance and headed towards the safe room door, which she flung open easily. Several Infected were standing right outside, but these simply ignored the Witch that slashed through them like a scythe. Vance gritted his teeth and followed her, noting the trail of blood that she made as she ran through the Infected with her claws.

The two had barely made it out of the main entrance to the stadium when they both heard the loud grinding of gears: the Survivors seemed to have opened the front gates.

_* They're attracting the horde!_

Julie tried to move forward, but even a Witch was powerless against the sudden force of an Infected horde. She was borne along the wave of Infected bodies, while Vance leaped to the side of the wall to avoid the rushing tide.

Julie tried to fight the force that was propelling her forward, but the Infected were working as one to get to the four Survivors who were standing just outside the gates. One of them was wearing a suit that had taken on a brownish yellow color.

_# Daddy!_

_*Julie, no! They're going to-_

Vance's screech caught the attention of one of the Survivors. Julie saw and met the gaze of the young woman and saw her raise a combat rifle.

_# Daddy!_

Before Julie could open her mouth or the young woman could fire, Vance pounced at Julie, tackling her to the ground. They both could hear the swift _zip _of the bullets as they flew over their heads, coupled by the splatter of blood that rained down on them as the Infected standing behind Julie were shot down.

"Whoa, did you see that?" It was the young male Southerner who spoke, nudging the man beside him.

Nick.

Julie struggled to get to her feet, but Vance was pulling away from the Survivors now, crouching low on the ground. The woman was still firing at the horde that flowed from the Peach Pit, and Vance knew that he had to stay low so that the bullets would hit the Infected behind and beside him.

Still, it was an intense struggle for him to get Julie a good distance away from the Survivors. Not only did he have to deal with the Infected that were propelling him forward, but also to maintain a firm grip on a _very _strong Witch.

_*Jules, we have to go! I don't think your dad's in a 'meet and greet' mood now!_

_# Just let me go!_

But Vance ignored her. He knew very well what would happen if he did: Julie would rush towards the Survivors, who would raise their guns and shoot her.

No. He wouldn't let that happen. Not to her. Not to Julie.

After what seemed like ages, Vance managed to get Julie into the safe room, where Adrian and Carter were waiting. The former's eyes were wide, which grew even wider as the Survivors came round the corner.

_- Aw shit, man? How many times do we have to lead our enemies to us? First the Tank and now the Survivors?_

_* They're not our enemies, Adrian! Just help me get Julie into the stadium!_

Adrian hopped over and wrapped his spindly arms around Julie's waist, but his grip was too weak.

_- Man, this damn body isn't built to restrain people, most especially a Witch! Now if I could just hop on her back and ride her…_

_* Out of the question!_

Adrian held his hands up and backed off. Vance met Carter's gaze and nodded, ignoring Julie who was – thankfully – silently thrashing about. He could feel his arms grow tired, and just when he thought that he was going to let go of her, he felt Carter wrap his slimy Smoker tongue around Julie's waist.

_+ Julie, snap out of it! We've got to get out of here!_

_# Then let me go!_

_* And let you run to your dad?_

_# No! I won't! Come on!_

Adrian had swung the safe room door open and Carter looked at Vance for confirmation. When the Hunter nodded, Carter retracted his tongue. Vance let go of Julie, who stared at the other safe room door for a moment.

Nick's profile appeared at the opening, and for the briefest moment his eyes met Julie's. Julie made a choked sob and ran out of the safe room, followed closely by her Infected comrades. Carter managed to slam the safe room door just before the Survivors entered, all looking bruised and battle-weary.

The Infected Survivors convened beside the stage; Julie pacing the area, her hands at her sides.

_* How are they going to get out?_

_+ I've heard a helicopter circle the area a few times since we got here. Maybe they plan on using the Midnight Riders' set-up to attract the chopper pilot's attention._

_- How do you know that?_

_+ I have a brain._

_- Are you saying we're all stupid?_

_+ You said it, not me._

_# We have to make sure they get on the helicopter._

The three other Infected looked at her. Julie's face no longer carried the longing and frenzied recklessness it had earlier; it was now replaced by a fierce determination. For a moment Vance could almost see what she looked like when she was human.

_- Whoa, hold the fucking phone. You don't want to meet up with him anymore? I thought…I thought that was the whole point of this little trip!_

_# I do. More than anything. But my daddy's still alive, after everything he's been through. Before I meet up with him, I want to make sure that he's still alive. Not some corpse or Infected like us._

Vance was silent. And then…

_*So we make sure he stays alive long enough to get to New Orleans. I can deal._

Vance and Julie both looked at Adrian and Carter, who nodded.

_- Yeah, sure. It's not like I have any other plans._

_+ Count me in._

Before Julie could thank any of them, they heard the telltale sound of gunshots.

_*We'd better hide. They won't take kindly to seeing us after that horde outside._

The Infected Survivors headed for the other side of the stadium; Carter's tongue had barely whipped out of sight when Nick's party ran in. They systematically shot the other Infected that were milling about before they headed to the stage.

"Hey Coach, I think your heroes lip-sync. There's a tape here labeled 'Finale,'" Julie heard Nick call.

"They do? Damn," Coach replied.

Julie peered out from their hiding place and saw Nick push a button on the console just as one of his companions hit the stage lights. The music filled the stadium and they heard the first notes of one of the band's hit singles.

Like clockwork, the cry of the Infected rose and grew louder as they flowed into the stadium, attracted by the loud music and flashing lights. The Survivors had taken position at the center of the stage, which was close to the ammo pile and weapon stash.

Julie nodded at her companions, who eliminated the Infected that rushed by their hiding place. Vance pinned the Infected to the ground before ripping their throats out, Adrian jumped on their backs and rode them until they smashed their grayish heads against the concrete wall, and Carter shot his tongue out and practically lassoed the Infected towards Julie, who slashed at them until they were quivering masses of flesh and blood.

At first they thought that they would be seen, but the Survivors were concentrated on killing the Infected that entered their area. For a moment, the Infected Survivors and the human Survivors worked as one.

And then the Tanks came.

_+ Why do I get the feeling like they have some battle plan?_

_* What do you mean? Vance raised his head to reveal blood running down the sides of his mouth._

_+ It's like they attack after every wave of Infected has been killed. There's another one!_

Sure enough a Tank lumbered past the Infected Survivors, keen on getting to the human Survivors on the stage.

_- The chopper's here!_

"Guys, the chopper's here!" Nick cried. Julie raised her head towards the sound of his voice, but he and his companions were already fighting their way down the stage and towards the left side of the stadium, where the helicopter was now hovering.

The Tank reared its head towards Nick's voice as well and lumbered after them. Nick and his female companion were firing at the Tank, while the other two were reloading. The Tank was quickly closing the gap between it and the Survivors.

_# They're not going to make it! Adrian!_

The Jockey hopped after the Tank while Julie flexed her claws. She could see her dad fight his way up the stands, taking several hits from the Infected that were attacking him from the back. Nick was slowing down, even though he and his companions were doing the best they could.

The Tank, coupled with the horde, was proving to be too much. Julie screamed then, rushing after Adrian and the Tank with her claws raised.

"Oh shit oh shit, oh shit!" Nick's blonde haired companion shouted, peering at Julie through the scope of his sniper rifle.

"Kill that bitch!"

Bullets flew in Julie's direction, but she managed to dodge most of them. A few bullets ripped at her, leaving red gashes on the side of her torso.

Adrian was close to the Tank now, his maniacal laughter drowned out by the Tank's roars. As the massive Infected ripped a concrete slab from the stands, Adrian took a gigantic leap and landed on the Tank's shoulders.

Distracted, the Tank dropped the concrete slab and swatted at the Jockey.

"What the fuck is that thing doing?" the woman screamed.

"Don't ask, just get in the goddamn chopper!" Nick ordered, and the woman obeyed.

Adrian rode the Tank for a few more seconds before he was forced to hop off to avoid being punched. It was then when Julie sank her claws on the Tank's back. She pushed her claws further into the flesh, feeling it tear beneath her.

"Nick! Get in the chopper!"

Julie was busy pulling her claws out of the Tank, which was trying to shake her off, to see that Nick was aiming at the group of gasoline cans standing near them. A well-aimed bullet ignited the gasoline, which spewed over the Tank and Julie.

_* Julie!_

Vance was about to help bring the Tank down when Julie was caught in the cross fire – literally – and pushed her out of the way to avoid the Tank swinging its large arms about. Julie screamed as the fire licked her skin, and Vance was forced to take off his hoodie to extinguish the fire the best he could.

_- He's inside the chopper!_

Julie whimpered as Vance accidentally pressed a few fingers against the blackened skin, but she moved forward and raised her eyes towards the chopper.

For the second time that night, Nick's and Julie's eyes met. This time, however, some form of recognition – or surprise – flashed across Nick's eyes as he studied the Witch that stood on the stands below him, her feet slightly apart, her hip cocked to one side, and her hands at her sides.

"Just like Julie," Nick murmured to himself, noting that this Witch seemed…different. Not only was she standing still, but she had black hair. His eyes lowered and he thought he saw something glint against the Witch's pale skin.

A locket, maybe?

While Nick mulled over the Witch's strange appearance, Julie stared back at him, memorizing every inch of his face.

'_I love you, Daddy. You've been protecting me my whole life. Now it's my turn_,' Julie thought as the chopper flew out of sight. '_I'll make sure you get to New Orleans alive. No matter what.'_


	13. Crash Landing

**Crash Landing**

Survivors

"Hey Nick, you okay man?" Ellis asked. Nick was looking rather pale, and the mechanic suspected that it wasn't because of their close call.

The Survivors had (again) barely escaped Whispering Oaks and were now riding a chopper that was taking them to some Survivor enclave near the Louisiana swamps. Ellis had expected the conman to be against this plan, but to his surprise Nick had been strangely silent. He kept looking out into the night, as if expecting someone – or something – to come out at him.

"Come on Nick, snap out of it," Coach called from the back of the chopper. The de facto leader of their Survivor groups was struggling to strap himself into the seat, but his stomach was too wide for the seatbelts to reach. "God damn it, I thought I already lost me some weight!"

"Just hold on, Coach," Rochelle advised. "How far is it to the enclave?"

The chopper pilot motioned that it wasn't far and Ellis relaxed. He just knew that he and the others were safe. Ellis's thoughts soon turned to what the Survivor enclave was like and whether they would have to deal with zombified alligators and snakes. He hoped not.

Rochelle, for her part, wasn't ready to relax just yet. She felt that if she did, they'd be caught off guard and would be more susceptible to an attack. Rochelle glanced at Nick, who still looked tense. She'd heard the shrill scream of the Witch seconds after they'd taken off from the stadium. Rochelle knew now that Nick wasn't the sort of man who got scared of a Witch.

In fact, he seemed to have this maniacal desire to _kill _one.

So why the sudden change?

Before Rochelle could mull over the possibilities, she heard a harsh hacking noise, like someone was coughing up blood. "Oh my god. Ellis, the pilot!"

The chopper pilot, who had been silent for most of the ride, was now in a coughing fit. They could see blood splatters form on the windshield and the pilot's body shake violently.

"He's Infected!" Coach cried, his fingers grabbing at the straps. Before Ellis or Rochelle could do anything, Nick raised his assault rifle and shot the pilot.

A bright red plume of blood erupted at the center of the pilot's forehead, splattering Ellis with blood. The mechanic groaned but scrambled over the dead man in a vain attempt to gain control of the chopper.

"Do you even know how to fly a goddamn helicopter?" Nick cried as Ellis grappled with the controls.

"I have no ide-he-he-hea man!" Ellis cried as the chopper began to spiral out of control. Rochelle screamed as she was thrown into Coach, and Nick barely managed to hold on. He felt his assault rifle slip free from his grasp, but he let it go.

It was either him or his gun, and he'd be damned if he died before he saw his daughter again.

Nick knew that each hour that passed lessened his chances of seeing Julie again, but he was determined. She was the only good thing in his life, and he would do anything to see her alive and well.

Just as that last thought passed through his mind, he felt the wind whoosh past his ears and heard the screams of his other companions.

The loud screech of metal rang through the air and Nick felt the wind being knocked out of his lungs. Thankfully (or unfortunately, in Nick's opinion), the chopper crash-landed on a muddy field. The wet soil cushioned most of the impact, but he felt pretty banged up.

He groaned and rolled on his side, his arm hitting the glass pane of the side door. "Hey, you three okay?"

"Oh we're fine!" Ellis exclaimed, sounding rather grumpy. Coach groaned from somewhere behind Nick, but Rochelle was silent. Nick was about to ask the other men where Rochelle was, when he felt a sharp blow on the side of his head.

"Oh, Nick! I'm sorry!" Rochelle had been thrown beside Nick; she was struggling to free herself from the straps that had wound around her arms. "Anyone got a knife? I'm stuck!"

Nick took out the Swiss army knife that he always kept strapped to his ankle and flipped the blade out. He hacked at the straps that nearly pinned Rochelle's arms in place, while Ellis and Coach gathered their bearings.

"Man, where the _hell _are we?" Ellis griped, cracking a crick in his neck.

"Based on our location and our previous wind speed, I'd say we're somewhere near Earl's Gator Village," Rochelle surmised.

Ellis's eyes widened. "How didya know that?"

"Because there's a sign right over there," Rochelle answered, pointing at something behind Nick. Ellis turned and saw the painted sign.

"Man, I thought you became a physics genius all of a sudden," he murmured.

Rochelle was now able to pull herself free; thanking Nick, she brushed herself off. "Looks like we have to visit the crazy militants in the swamp."

Nick was afraid of that.

"C'mon, let's get goin'," Coach urged, and the four Survivors slowly went out of the chopper. The pilot's body had been thrown out as they chopper thrashed in mid-air, but they spotted it a few feet from the road.

"That's gross as hell," Ellis commented, grimacing.

"I sure hope there's an ammo dump somewhere," Rochelle said.

"We're in a goddamn swamp, Rochelle. I don't think these hicks just leave stuff out for strangers to take."

The Survivors had lost their weapons and their first aid kits in the crash; basically, they were at the mercy at whatever Infected they would encounter. The Survivors trudged out of the field, keen on heading towards the village.

While they could have gone in a completely different direction, the field looked endless. If they were attacked by Infected, they would have nothing but mud to fling at their foes.

"Yeah, we'd turn them into Mud Men," Nick had said dryly when Ellis pointed that out. He was the first one to step out of the muck, and he grumbled at the steadily deteriorating status of his suit.

'_Blood, guts, and now mud_,' he thought with a frown. '_What next? Swamp water_?'

They reached some railroad tracks and managed to squeeze past a couple of overturned cabooses. Coach spotted an open caboose that has makeshift tables with weapons, first aid kits, and an ammo pile, and quickly pointed it out. The four made a beeline for the caboose, with Nick and Ellis heaving Coach up and into the train car.

Silenced submachine guns and shotguns lined one makeshift table, along with an ammo pile, while first aid kits were found on another table.

Nick strapped a first aid kit to his back and chose the silenced submachine gun. Just as he was slipping a full clip, he heard Ellis say his name. "What?"

"Nick what the hell, you shot the pilot!"

Nick raised an eyebrow. "That's a rather slow reaction, don't you think? And just in case you didn't notice, he wasn't doing a very good job once he became a zombie now, was he?"

"True, true, he was a zombie, but he was also our only pilot!"

"I can't believe none of you were going to shoot him," Nick grumbled. Before Ellis could open his mouth to deliver another snappy retort, Rochelle cocked the shotgun loudly.

"Let's go," she said, hopping off the caboose. Nick could hear her boots crunch against several dead leaves and he followed suit. Ellis and Coach took up the rear, their guns at the ready.

A huge tarpaulin had been draped over the wire fence, which basically warned CEDA and the military to keep out.

"Well we aren't CEDA or the military, so I guess we're welcome," Rochelle commented with a shrug. Nick hopped onto the hood of a car that had been parked near the gas pumps of the gasoline station and spotted several idle Infected.

The moment the Infected saw him however, they howled and rushed towards him. The steady staccato of his and Ellis's silenced submachine guns filled the air. It was over in a few seconds and Coach snagged a cricket bat and a bottle of pain pills, while Rochelle and Nick made their way to an open storage unit.

"Well aren't you Mr. Thinker today," she said as she brushed past him to get the pipe bomb that was lying on the boxes at the very end of the unit.

Nick, who was picking up a crowbar, grunted. He didn't want to talk about what he'd seen as they pulled away from Whispering Oaks; the very idea was laughable at best. And yet, the image of the Witch kept flashing in his mind.

'That could've been Julie,' he thought, remembering how the Witch had stared at him, standing the same way Julie did. The Witch even had black hair…

'_Snap out of it_,' another voice in his head said. '_That's just wishful thinking_.'

"Nick?"

Rochelle's voice pulled him from his own thoughts and he blinked. "Huh?"

"We need to go?" she asked, just before she walked out of the storage unit. Nick shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and went back out, just as Coach spotted a Spitter.

"Oh what did that thing just do?" Nick exclaimed, skipping over the acid puddle in his haste.

"Disgusting, man!" Ellis called from the other side. Rochelle and Coach fired at the long-necked Infected; a bullet pierced its skull, killing it.

The Survivors waited for the acid puddle to dissipate before moving along. There was a cluster of houses behind the gasoline station, and Coach called for the others to search these buildings for supplies.

Nick followed Ellis into the first house, where he saw two bunk beds and an empty cooler. A couple of Infected were inside, which the conman killed before the mechanic could raise his gun.

"Aw man, I had him!" Ellis exclaimed, before walking out of the house. Nick grinned and followed the younger man out; Rochelle and Coach were coming out of the next house, which was situated on higher ground.

Nick could see Rochelle had a new bottle of pain pills, while Coach had hesitantly pocketed a bottle of Boomer bile.

"Anything left?" he asked the two as he approached. "Because we got nothing over there."

"Just a frying pan," Rochelle replied, a twinkle in her eye. Nick snorted and walked on ahead, raising his gun and shooting at all Infected that moved.

The ground suddenly shook and Nick raised his head just in time to see a Tank lumber towards him.

"Fuck! A Tank!" he shouted, although he needn't have to. The three other Survivors knew what a Tank sounded like by now, and as Nick rushed backwards, they raised their guns and fired.

"Reloading!" Coach cried, slipping shells inside the shotgun chamber. His hands were shaking, but he managed to slip in three shells before the Tank came close.

Several Infected trailed behind the Tank, their screeches mingling with their larger comrade. Nick hated how he had to deal with a mini horde and a fucking Tank with a submachine gun. A crappy silenced submachine gun that was easy to…

"Run out of bullets yet, Nick?" Rochelle called as she slapped several shells into her shotgun.

Nick grunted and aimed at the Tank, all the while trying to walk backwards as fast as he could. A couple of Infected ran screaming at him from behind the bushes; these smacked at his back painfully until Nick pivoted around and shot them both point blank in the face.

Just before the Tank could reach any of them, Nick spotted a Molotov lying on the base of a nearby tree. He flicked it to life and threw it at the Tank; the massive Infected roared and raised its heavy arms to the sky before pitching forward.

"Man, they don't know when to quit, do they?" Coach asked, wheezing. "Good thing Nick here found a Molotov. I was about to run out of bullets."

"Anytime, buddy," Nick replied, while Ellis finished off the remaining Infected. "Think there's one more of them out there?"

The other three Survivors groaned.

"Don't jinx it, Nick!" Coach said, walking down the path. Nick rolled his eyes and followed him; he heard Ellis and Rochelle take up the rear.

The Tank seemed to have come from a collection of stores, including a convenience store and a boat house. They could see the river and a machine-operated ferry, as well as a picnic table that had another Molotov and a shotgun.

Coach and Rochelle replaced their low-ammo weapons, while Nick and Ellis stubbornly stood by theirs.

"Looks like they all went into the village," Rochelle observed. "Deeper into the swamps. Great."

"We can take the ferry," Nick pointed out. "But I bet that-"

"Whatever you're going to say boy, don't you say it!" Coach exclaimed, raising his hand. "You'll jinx it!"

Nick held up his hands and walked towards the motor that would summon the ferry. Ellis had gone over to look at the corpse of a Charger that the villagers had strung up on a couple of poles. He whistled and turned towards his companions.

Rochelle and Coach were the ones who cranked the lever of the motor, which roared to life. Coach winced and Nick had the satisfaction of throwing him a smug "I told you so look."

"Man, I hate it when the conman's right," Coach muttered, cocking his shotgun as the Infected horde flowed towards them.

* * *

**Author's Note: This and the next two chapters are more of fillers, since most of you know what happens in the Swamp Fever campaign anyway. I'll just be writing the important bits. **


	14. The Devil May Cry, But I Won't

**The Devil May Cry, But I Won't**

Infected

The helicopter grew smaller until it seemed as if the darkness had swallowed it all up. Julie continued to stare at the direction where she'd last seen the chopper, the wind whipping her hair about her face.

* _Julie_.

Vance crouched beside her, the moonlight illuminating his bloodied teeth and chin. During the fray, the Hunter had used his teeth to rip out the throats of some of the Infected, if only to slow these down. Adrian had thought it was disgusting, while Carter feared that Vance was becoming a cannibal.

# _Hi Vance_.

* _Everything okay_?

Seconds after the words were said, Vance winced. That was a rather stupid question, considering what had just happened.

# _Everything's fine_.

Vance was about to ask her if she needed some time alone when Carter and Adrian came up behind him.

+ _So what do we do now_?

- _Yeah, we're stuck here. Unless we can get another ride from a Tank or get a truck, we'll have to become bosom buddies with Tweedledum and Tweedledee over there_.

# _Let's just get out of here. I don't care if we have to walk all the way to New Orleans; we have to get there and make sure Daddy's safe_.

+ _This is quite the turnaround, even for you_.

# _I just want him to be okay. I mean I want to be with him, yeah, but_…

Julie felt like sobbing uncontrollably again, but she willed the tears away. She'd never cried unnecessarily in her entire life, and she certainly wasn't going to start now.

'_The devil may cry, but I certainly won't_', she told herself.

Carter shifted beside her, while Vance leaped towards the edge of the stadium.

* _I see a few cars. I think we can get one and drive to New Orleans_.

- _And let's hope we don't run out of gas_.

Julie nodded. # _Sounds like a plan_.

+ _Hold up_.

The three other Infected Survivors turned to look at the Smoker, whose tongue was considerably longer due to the fact that he'd been using it as a lasso while fighting some of the Infected.

- _Hey, if you're backing out now, Cart, just say so! We can do this on our own_!

+_ It's not that, you back-humping shit! I noticed something about the chopper pilot_.

- _What? That he's cute_?

Carter made several hacking noises before he could calm down, which sent Adrian hopping and giggling like the little maniac that he was.

* _Knock it off, Adrian. What is it, Carter_?

Carter shot Adrian a dirty look before replying. + _The chopper pilot was in the stages of turning. I could hear his thoughts even from where I was_.

Vance raised his head, showing the others his bloodshot eyes.

* _If that were true, then they might not have gotten far. But how were you able to hear him when the rest of us weren't_?

Carter shrugged. + _His thoughts weren't that loud. I think he wasn't fully Infected yet, so the 'volume' was low. With all the screaming and shouting that was going on, it would've been easy to miss_.

# _If he did turn, then they might be nearer than we think_.

The news seemed to have brought some renewed energy to Julie, who looked slightly more animated than she was a few minutes ago.

* _We need to get a map so that we can check for any nearby towns that they could have crash landed into_.

- _How do you know that they're going to crash land_?

+ _Adrian, they've been killing Infected since the outbreak started. Do you seriously think that they're the type to just sit there when their pilot becomes Infected_?

- _Yeah, but for all we know one of them knows how to fly a chopper_!

+ _How many civilians do you know that actually know how to fly a chopper? Get real, Adrian_.

Adrian giggled but hopped over to Carter, tugging at the Smoker's tongue. Carter made a move to swipe at the Jockey, but Adrian jumped behind Julie, who looked at Carter with her glowing red eyes. The Smoker faltered before stepping back.

* _Would you two please stop getting at each others' throats? Let's just focus on getting out of here_.

The Infected Survivors climbed the last few steps, with Adrian peering over the edge of the stadium from the hole that the Tank had made when it had crashed through the concrete. The stadium was situated several feet from a highway, where they saw a sea of abandoned vehicles.

- _At least we know we won't have a hard time looking for a truck to hotwire_.

# _We need a map first_.

* _Right. Well Julie and I can check the concession stands near the entrance, while you two look for a vehicle_.

+ _Why is it that you always take Julie with you_?

- _Yeah, are you in love with her, man_?

Vance hissed. * _Because I know if I leave her with either of you, you'll most likely piss her off. And you know what happens when you piss a Witch off. _

Carter and Adrian both opened their mouths to argue, but were cut off by Julie making a brief screech.

# _We're wasting time_!

Vance looked at the Smoker and the Jockey as if to say "see what I mean?" and followed Julie, who was striding out of the stadium. Several Infected were milling about, but these shuffled slightly out of Julie's way as she walked past them.

The two looked through the concession stands for a map. Both of them knew it was a long shot to find a map of the area, but Vance was aware that Julie would want to try. She was damn stubborn, and the Hunter had a feeling that she'd inherited that little trait from her dad.

It wasn't when they searched the small preparation room off the two public bathrooms did they have any luck.

The map was a bit dirty and had dried blood splatters on it, but they were able to read the names of the nearby towns and even see a highway that led to New Orleans.

* _If the highway is anything like the one outside, I think we're better off using the river_.

Vance pointed at a thin blue line that snaked through the area, passing through a bayou and what looked like a gator village.

* _If we can get a boat, we can simply sail on through New Orleans_.

# _No. Look, Earl's Gator Village is just a few miles from here. Maybe that's where they crash landed_.

* _How do you know_?

# _I don't. But the rest of the area is just full of forests. If they do end up in the middle of the forest, the most likely place they'll head towards is a town_.

* _But I don't think they have a map, Jules_.

A sinister smirk slid across Julie's face; it creeped Vance out to no end. He let out an involuntary shudder, which the Witch noticed. She pursed her lips but said nothing.

# _Daddy's had some survivalist training when he was younger; he told me. If they get lost, Daddy will be able to get them out. I say we head to this gator village_.

* _Or we can just head here. _Vance pointed to a city close to New Orleans.

Julie's brow furrowed. # _Why there_?

* _Well you said you wanted to make sure he reached the military outpost. We can go on ahead of them and start clearing the way_.

# _You mean kill Infected so that they won't have to put up much of a fight_.

The idea sounded appealing yet dangerous at the same time. Julie wanted to make sure that Nick was safe, and she feared that he would die before he even got to New Orleans. But she'd also seen what he could do; a part of her was confident that he'd live just long enough for her to help him get away.

She felt a sharp pang in her heart. Julie was aware that she and her dad may never be a family again. She was Infected, he was not. Even though she wasn't like the other Witches she'd met, there were times when she couldn't control her anger. Julie was afraid that she might end up hurting him, and now knowing what she could do, she didn't want to risk killing him during one of her rages.

* _What are you going to do when he does reach the outpost_?

# _I don't know_.

Vance nodded slowly. * _Well, we'd best go back to Carter and Adrian. So we'll follow my suggestion_?

# _Yeah. It sure beats visiting the crazy militants in the swamp_.

It was only when they were walking back into the stadium did Julie stop. # _Wait_.

* What now?

# Can't we just...can't we just pass through Earl's Gator Village? Make sure that they did make it through?

Vance's brow furrowed, although Julie couldn't see it. He thought that that would be a waste of time, but since Julie looked earnest (or as earnest as a Witch could look like about anything in general), he nodded.

But a part of him knew what they would find if Nick and the other Survivors did pass by through the village: blood, Infected corpses, and discarded ammo clips.

* * *

Survivors

"I am walking through swamp water. Shit! This is going to mess up my white suit," Nick complained, shaking green gunk off his shoe.

He felt dirty, smelly, and disgusting, and to top it all off, he'd just been dry humped by a Jockey. He really wasn't in his best mood.

"The white suit with zombie brains all over it? That one?" Rochelle called, as she sighted several Infected using the sniper rifle she'd recently acquired.

"Brains come out. Swamp water doesn't. Don't ask me how I know that."

Rochelle rolled her eyes and fired at a couple of fighting Infected; their brains exploded in a satisfying red cloud of blood and flesh. "Why can't they just all fight each other instead of going apeshit whenever they see us?"

"Zombies," Ellis reminded her, walking up holding a propane tank. "Man, them movies sure got lots of things wrong."

"Do they ever?" Rochelle asked sarcastically.

"Come on people, we're wasting time!" Coach called from a nearby dock, where he'd found a stash of ammunition. "Ellis, why you bringin' that tank fo'? We ain't be needin' that!"

"Coach, this baby can blow up several zombies at once. I throw it, Rochelle shoots it, zombies go boom, baby!" Ellis grinned, failing to notice Nick rolling his eyes behind him.

After picking some choice finds on the dock, the Survivors surged forward. The sight that greeted them made them freeze in their tracks: an airplane was sitting in the middle of the swamp, effectively blocking their path.

"Nick you didn't shoot this pilot too, didya?" Coach asked the conman, who gritted his teeth.

They shot several idle Infected – whether these were once the passengers of the plane or not, they didn't know – before climbing inside the plane.

"Only way out is through the emergency exit," Rochelle reported.

"Well shit, that's going to make a hell of a lot of noise," Nick grumbled. "Listen, can't we just climb over this goddamn piece of shit metal and-"

Coach spluttered. "Do you see _me _climbing over shit? Use your brains, boy!"

Nick snorted while Ellis turned to Rochelle, a grin spreading on his face. "Can I put this over there? You can shoot it when those sonsabitches arrive."

"Sounds good," Rochelle agreed. "Everyone ready?"

"Do we even have a choice?" Nick asked in a snarky tone. This earned him another eye rolling from Rochelle, which made him chuckle.

Rochelle gripped the lever and pushed down, ejecting the emergency door from the plane. This was followed by an ear-splitting alarm – and the collective and signature howl of the Infected.

"Wish these guys were all deaf," Nick griped, snapping the safety off his assault rifle.


	15. A Vigil for Virgil

**A Vigil for Virgil**

Survivors

The plantation house loomed before them, and Nick sighed in relief. They'd just been through hell in the shantytown, where they'd expected to stumble across a Survivor camp.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were leading us to a damn trap," Nick had said as they fought of several hordes of Infected. "That plantation better have humans in it!"

Now he could see that he was wrong; the way to the plantation house was dotted with Infected, some wearing overalls and straw hats.

"Don't look like there's people in there, Nick," Ellis said, walking past him, slowly shooting the Infected with a sniper rifle.

"I can see that, Ellis." Nick rested his assault rifle on his shoulder and followed the mechanic, all the while muttering darkly about Southerners and how they would be the death of him.

Rochelle and Coach were standing near some scaffolding by the time the two men caught up.

"Ain't no other way but up. Door's closed," Coach told them. "Man, all this running around is makin' me lose some serious weight."

Nick smirked and took a brief moment to admire Rochelle's butt as she climbed up the scaffolding. Coach cleared his throat loudly and Nick glanced at the older man.

"Boy, stop checkin' her out." Coach grunted as he started after Rochelle; seconds after they disappeared up top, Nick and Ellis heard a series of gunshots.

The two followed their companions up the scaffolding, which led to a room that had a huge hole in the center. Two Infected corpses lay on the boards, while another was bent over the hole, its legs splayed on the floor.

Nick and Ellis switched on the flashlights that had been mounted on their guns before jumping down. The beams of light sliced through the gloom, showing them the amount of destruction that had occurred. Doors had been splintered, soiled makeshift beds had been left behind, and even the undergrowth had creeped inside the house.

"Reminds me of this haunted house Keith and I visited a few years back," Ellis murmured.

"Oh god, not again." Nick quickened his pace so that he wouldn't have to hear another of Ellis's Keith stories. The kid had been telling them countless stories of his bionic best friend, Keith, who was prone to a lot of accidents.

Now Nick wouldn't have minded a story or two, but every time they seemed to get into a scrape, Ellis was there talking about how Keith burned 90% of his body, broken both his legs and his left arm, and nearly drowned inside a goddamn Tunnel of Love.

"…and then there was this ghost who tried to pick Keith's pocket, but since his wallet was already empty by that time he just let the feller go," Ellis said, seemingly oblivious to Nick's lack of attention. "I tell ya, brother, haunted houses are not the places to be. Imagine havin' to deal with zombies _and _ghosts? Shit!"

"Look, why don't we try some quiet time for a while," Nick said before the kid could say anything else. Ellis muttered "okay" and followed Nick up the stairs. "Where the hell are those two?"

The words had barely left his lips when a hellish howl rose up.

_'Ah hell, a Charger,' _Nick thought seconds before the one-armed Infected slammed against him with bone-crushing force.

"Do you see this thing pounding me on the ground?!" Nick shouted, as the Charger raised him high in the air and slammed him against the ground. The wind was being knocked out of him and Nick clawed at the rough skin on the Charger's arm in an effort to free himself.

Rochelle and Coach ran back inside from the balcony, where they had been systematically taking out the Infected that were in the garden maze.

"Eat that!" Coach cried, revving up the chainsaw he picked up. He hewed at the Charger's neck and the large Infected growled once before releasing Nick and falling to the ground. "You okay?"

"I'm…fine…" Nick grunted, his muscles aching from the attack. "But I've felt better."

"Here ya go," Ellis said. "Ain't got no use for it anyhow."

Nick took the pain pills that Ellis had given him. "Thanks buddy."

Ellis smiled and joined Coach near the balcony, while Rochelle covered Nick while he downed the pain pills.

"How are things looking so far?" Nick finally asked, picking up the assault rifle that he'd dropped when the Charger attacked him.

Rochelle shrugged. "Bit hard to say. We've killed the Infected down on the grounds, and Coach thinks he saw a radio close to that big wooden gate. He's going to try and contact someone with it."

"Better than nothing," Nick said. Shortly after that the two joined Ellis and Coach on the balcony, where the former was having a blast – literally – in shooting the remaining Infected. "Guess we'll have to go down, then."

He could see a table of first aid kits (possibly leftover from whatever relief efforts occurred in the plantation house) on the right side of the house, a small pile of ammunition, plus several guns propped against the hedges.

The drop from the balcony looked too high; Nick knew that they could break a leg from such an attempt.

"Let's go. Hey Ellis, stop shootin' that bigass gun and getcho butt movin'!" Coach slipped several shotgun shells into his tactical shotgun and walked back inside. The three glanced at each other and nodded, before following the older man into the house. Soon enough they were stocking up on health kits.

Rochelle swapped her assault rifle with a combat rifle, and the three men stuck to their original guns. The radio was on a small wooden table close to the gate, and it was Ellis who volunteered to operate it.

Flipping the switch on, Ellis picked up the microphone. "Hello? Hello, can anyone hear me?"

"Ahoy there!"

Ellis's eyes widened and the glanced at the others. Coach made a "go on" gesture, and Ellis turned back to the radio.

"Hello! Uh, who am I talkin' to?"

"It's real nice to hear another voice! The name's Virgil. Where's you a-callin' from?"

"Tell him we're at a big house with a gate," Nick interrupted. Ellis relayed the message, and for a while Virgil was silent.

"Nick, what in hell kind of description was that?" Coach asked the conman, who shrugged. "There's got to be a helluva lot of houses that are big and have a gate!"

"Is that the one where they evacuated all them shantytown folks? Coz I know where's you at, if y'are."

"Yeah, yeah, that's where we are!" Ellis exclaimed, grinning.

"How many are with ya?" Virgil asked, and they heard a loud whine coming from the radio. Rochelle winced and clapped her hands over her ears.

"Oh shit, well there's me, Ellis, and then there's Coach, Rochelle, and Nick."

"Okay, now hold on, now. I'm a-comin' to get you, young'un," Virgil assured him. "Over."

Ellis thanked the man and set the microphone back on the table. Nick nodded at shifted the gun to one side.

"We're going to be okay," Ellis told the others, as if they hadn't heard what the two were talking about. "He's coming."

"About time something moved in our favor," Nick commented, which the others ignored.

Rochelle, on the other hand, looked uneasy. Finally: "Um, guys? Do you hear that?"

The others fell silent. They could hear the soft shuffle of feet, accompanied by the ragged panting of the Infected.

"I fucking knew this was too good to be true." Nick snapped off the safety of his assault rifle and turned just in time to see the horde of Infected flow over the wall of the plantation. It was obvious that they'd just come from the river; their bodies were dripping wet and their lanky hair clung to their foreheads.

But they were still deadly, still enraged.

"Man up!" Nick called as the horde attacked.

The first horde was relatively small, but the Survivors had to deal with a couple of Jockeys (one of which rode Rochelle towards the last remnants of the horde), a Smoker (Coach killed it as it wrapped its slimy tongue around Nick's waist), and a Hunter, which again pounced Rochelle as she tried to heal herself a few feet away from her teammates.

"You're just a magnet for Special Infected, aren't you, sweetheart?" Nick commented minutes after he'd shoved the Hunter off her and shot it point blank in the face as it stumbled.

"Would seem so," Rochelle said, her breathing ragged.

"Now don't waste this by getting pounced or something," he told her, unstrapping the health kit he had on his back and dabbing medicine on her sores. She winced slightly but allowed him to heal her.

"All better now," Rochelle announced, smiling at the conman. Nick's only response was a cocky grin, which made Rochelle roll her eyes.

Just as they rejoined Ellis and Coach near the gate, they heard a Tank's furious growls.

"Can't these guys stay away during a fucking horde?" Nick groused, slapping a new clip into his assault rifle.

The Tank barreled through the remaining Infected and made a beeline for Coach, who was closest. The health instructor released a slew of curses and shotgun blasts as he ran backwards; the other three were forced to choose their shots carefully so as not to hit Coach.

That didn't stop Ellis from accidentally shooting Coach in the butt, however.

"That's my ass you shootin' at!" Coach cried, as the four Survivors backed away from the Tank as fast as their legs could allow.

Nick snorted while Rochelle tried hard not to laugh; they _were _being attacked by a Tank, after all. The Survivors had to skirt around the entire length of the maze just to fire enough bullets into the bulky Infected and bring it down.

After that, they allowed themselves a chance to heal and grab the remaining health kits on the table, before walking back to the gate and the ammo pile.

Nick did a few stretches and Ellis shot an Infected that had dropped down into the garden from the plantation house.

"How long is Virgil going to take?" Ellis asked, glancing at the radio. "I mean that ammo pile ain't going to last forever."

Before anyone could answer him, the wail of the Infected horde rose up and Nick swore. Rochelle threw him a look, which he ignored.

The new horde was bigger and more enraged, but this time it flowed down the plantation house like an undead river. The four Survivors concentrated their fire on the Infected running straight at them through the middle of the maze. To their chagrin, the ammo pile was being completely trampled as the Infected rushed at them.

"Fuck," Nick muttered, switching to his melee weapon: an axe he'd picked up from one of the houses close to the plantation. Spotting an Infected about to claw at Coach's back, Nick swung the axe and split the zombie's head right down in the middle.

He yanked the axe out of the Infected corpse and managed to shove two Infected that were bearing down on him, before chopping their heads off.

In the midst of the horde attack, another Tank arrived. The Survivors were forced to rethink their strategy and Ellis, ever the daredevil, darted forward to grab ammunition for them.

"Ellis! No!" Rochelle screamed, just as a fiery blast shattered the gate to pieces.

"Get in the boat!"

Virgil had arrived.

"Ellis, get your ass back here!" Coach cried, firing at will. The Tank was bearing down on the mechanic, and Nick swore under his breath, unslinging his assault rifle from his back and firing at the Tank.

Ellis's eyes bulged as he looked up at the Tank, which raised its meaty fist.

"Get down!" Nick ordered, firing at the lump that was the Tank's head. The Tank roared and Nick shouted at Ellis to run, still firing.

The Tank slowed down at Nick's incessant hail of bullets, and Nick lowered the assault rifle while backing away quickly. What he didn't expect was a _second _Tank to bear down on him from the left; it smashed its fist at the conman, sending him flying out of the plantation house.

Nick collided on the wooden docks, barely aware of Rochelle screaming at him to get on the boat. It pained him to take a breath, and he knew he had broken at least one rib. His landing had caused the wounds he'd accumulated from the Charger's attack to flare up.

His vision swam and for a brief moment he thought he saw the dark-haired Witch again, standing a few feet from him.

"Nick! Nick, get up!" Rochelle's voice was closer now, and he heard Coach and Ellis's guns bark as they fired at the Tank.

"Julie," Nick murmured, swimming between life and death. "Daddy's coming, baby. I'm coming for you."

"Not if you die!" Rochelle grabbed Nick by the arm and shook him. "She's going to die if you do!"

That seemed to fuel Nick's desire to live; he imagined his little girl running away from a horde of Infected, screaming his name.

"God…fucking…damn it," he grunted, and Rochelle helped him stand.

Ellis was screeching like a bird, telling them to hurry up.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Rochelle shouted, and Nick nearly stumbled as they made their way towards the boat.

Virgil revved the engine and the two toppled on deck; several seconds later the Tank reached the end of the dock, roaring and waving its arms in the air.

"We're safe. You'll be fine," Rochelle whispered in his ear.

"Fan-freaking-tastic," Nick said, before finally slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

Infected

* _Milltown. Looks like a friendly place_.

- _Oh yeah? What makes you say that_?

* _First place we've been to that isn't riddled with dead bodies. That means your dad's behind us, Jules. Glad we bypassed the swamps_.

Ultimately, Julie and the others had agreed to forego going through the swamps. It'd be a waste of time, Carter had pointed out, considering Nick and the others were practically hours away from them. Opting to use the highway, they managed to make their way to a small town near New Orleans.

Their truck had run out of gas, and based on the sign, the next gas station was on the other side of Milltown; just behind a sugar mill.

- _Hell Julie, you sure you aren't going apeshit on us when you smell all that sugar_?

#_ I won't. I just won't breathe_.

+ _I think we still need to breathe to survive, Jules_.

# _I guess I can wait for you guys outside. Or on the street_.

* _Sounds good. I trust you, but we never know what might happen_.

Adrian giggled and Vance threw the Jockey a sharp look. Carter looked away, while Julie stepped towards the Burger Tank, remembering how she and her daddy had spent time ordering French fries whenever they escaped her stepmom's tantrums.

How she missed him.

The familiar crying of a fellow Witch caught her attention, and she snapped her head up.

* _Jules_.

- _Oh this is going to be good_.

* * *

**Author's Note: Have any of you played Cold Stream? The sequel is going to be set during that campaign, but since I haven't played it, I'm a bit hesitant to do so. If someone's willing to give the story a quick once over in terms of pacing, continuity, and similarity to the game (otherwise I'll rely on the videos on YouTube), I'd appreciate that a lot. :) **


	16. Let's Play Milliner

**Let's Play Milliner**

Infected

The Witch's sobs grew louder and louder, until Julie felt as if she could never get the crying out of her head. A scream started building in her throat, until Vance leaped on top of a nearby truck, screeching.

* _Jules_!

Julie whipped her head up at him with a gasp. Vance leaned forward, showing her the caked blood on his mouth.

# _She's annoying_!

* _You don't want to get into another fight, Jules. Remember, you can't afford to die_.

# _I can take her_.

- _I love it when she gets all cocky and shit_. Adrian hopped up and down, laughing.

Vance screeched at the Jockey, which earned another round of giggles. Carter raised his hand and smacked Adrian on the back of the head, causing the Jockey to fall silent.

- _What the hell did you do that for_?

+ _Your laugh's annoying the ever-living fuck out of me. Plus Jules is this close to losing it. You don't want a Witch on your ass, do you_?

Adrian shied away while Julie turned her head towards the gas station, which had a large sign that announced the obvious lack of gas. She could see a Wandering Witch slowly shuffle out of sight and she relaxed.

* _We need to get the gas; otherwise we'd have to walk all the way to New Orleans. Come on_.

- _Where are we even going to find any gas in this shithole_?

+ _How about we try moving around_?

- _Oh yeah, since moving around is going to cause gas cans to fall down in front of us_.

* _Or because there's another sign saying that the next gas station is not for another two miles_.

The Smoker and the Jockey turned towards the Hunter, who pointed at another spray-painted sign that said: NEXT GAS – TWO MILES.

Julie hid a grin as the other two Infected Survivors made embarrassed noises.

# _So we're going to this Ducatel gas station_.

Vance nodded and, without another word, leaped off the truck. While the roads were blocked, the Infected Survivors managed to find a path through the backyards of the houses, where they met several idle Infected.

These didn't pose much of a problem, mostly because of Julie's presence. The daylight caused her eyes to water, and so she huddled close to Vance as they made their way down the street after climbing over a trailer that had blocked the alleyway.

Whatever Carter and Adrian were thinking about the way Julie and Vance were intertwined, they didn't say. But both were thinking how the two had become rather close since their first meeting back in the hospital in Pensacola.

There was a lone ambulance in the middle of the road, its back doors flung wide open.

- _Whoa. Why am I imagining really sick scenarios that can explain why an ambulance is parked like that_?

+ _Oh I don't know, maybe because you _are_ sick_?

- _We're _all_ sick with the Green Flu, Tongue_.

+ _Well aren't you Little Miss Genius_.

The two continued to bicker all the way down the street until they came to a small garage sale. An alleyway was right beside the house, and Vance glanced at Julie, who was covering her eyes with her claws.

* _Let's go down this way_.

The Hunter and Witch had barely turned into the alley when a hellish bellow erupted. A split second later, Vance threw Julie to the side and was charged at by a massive, overalls-wearing Infected.

# _Vance_!

Julie got to her feet, screeching as the sun hit her eyes. She shielded her face with her arm, just in time to see the Charger step back from the Hunter.

= _Oh wow, I'm sorry_!

# _You will be_.

The Charger turned slowly just as Julie raised her arms, screaming.

+ _Shit, you just pissed of the Witch_!

= _Hey hey, wait! I didn't mean to hurt him_!

# _Really? Why'd you charge him then_?

Julie really wished the Charger would answer fast; the sun was really hurting her eyes. Vance was slowly getting to his feet, while Adrian and Carter were a few feet away, glancing between the smaller, more powerful Infected, and the zombie that looked like a walking battering ram.

= _I thought he was a Survivor. I haven't charged at a lot of Survivors since the other yokels hightailed it out of town_.

The Witch still eyed him warily, but the sunlight overwhelmed her and she had to cover her eyes. Vance inched past the Charger, never taking his eyes away from the pudgy face. Once he was close to Julie, she buried her head in his shoulder, sighing in relief at the temporary reprieve.

= _Name's Charlie. I know, sounds kinda cliché: Charlie the Charger. Just my luck to be stuck in this form. Anyway, really sorry about that, buddy. No hard feelings_?

* _None on my end. I'm Vance, this is Julie, Adrian's the little hopper, and Carter's the Smoker_.

- _Why am I the 'little hopper'_?

The others ignored him; Adrian giggled once and hopped to Carter's other side.

= _So where you folks headed? Planning on settling Julie down in the Witch Rehabilitation Center_?

+ _The what_?

= _The Witch Rehabilitation Center. There's been dozens of Witches coming in to go to the Ducatel Sugar Mill. They've turned it into a small organization where they can stay without bothering other Survivors_.

* _Not exactly. We're here to get gas. We're headed to New Orleans_.

= _New Orleans? Whatever for_?

* _Jules's dad is on his way there. We're going to try and clear the way for him so that he gets to the military outpost_.

= _Well good luck with that. Last I heard, the city's being evacuated. Some Infected passed this way yesterday; it's chaos in the city_.

Vance shrugged and looked at Julie, who wasn't saying anything. He could feel the tension in her body, however, and knew that she was trying not to snap at the Charger.

Witches had rather uncontrollable rages, and Julie was fighting it to the best of her ability.

# _Well I don't expect you to understand_. Julie's voice was snappish in their minds, and Vance grimaced.

= _Whoa, I did say I was sorry, lil' lady_.

+ _It's a Witch thing. Be glad she isn't ripping you to pieces_.

Charlie nodded. Finally he offered to guide them to the sugar mill, which happened to be placed in front of the gas station where the gas could be found.

= _Least I could do for charging at ya_.

* _Thanks, Charlie. So, you got no plans of leaving_?

= _Hell no. I grew up here; best if I die here as well. Besides, my sister's in town, and she's uh, well, she needs someone to take care of her_.

+ _She Infected_?

= _Yeah. Turned to one of those spitty things. Guess she's a real spitfire now_.

- _Spitter. Spitfire. Nice one_.

Charlie led them down the alley and onto the next street; from there they could see another blockade and the smokestacks of the nearby sugar mill. The scent of sugar became stronger as they walked, and Julie found herself raising her head and inhaling the heady scent.

+ _Oh boy, someone's getting riled up_.

Charlie turned back towards Julie and grunted. The Witch spooked him; she was not only temperamental (well, most of them were), but also she had dark hair. Julie was the first dark-haired Witch he'd seen, and he'd seen a lot of Witches. = _Yeah, they all get like that when they reach the sugar mill. Must be because they love sugar. Not surprised they chose the mill as their rehabilitation center._

- _You serious? They actually turned it into a rehabilitation center? Who's looking after them, then_?

= _Nobody. It's more of a support group, really. Most of them are like us; massively Infected but still human on the inside. They gathered there so that they won't have to run into anyone else_.

# _Has it worked_?

Charlie started before replying. He hadn't expected to hear her voice after her hostility towards him a few minutes ago.

= _Kind of. A couple of Survivor groups passed this way a few weeks ago – last thing they ever did. Man, the noise was terrible. It's one of those days that I'm glad I'm not human_.

They came to a house that had a set of stairs running up the back. Charlie stopped by the stairs, gesturing with his arm towards the metal door at the top.

= _House connects to the sugar mill on the other side. You'll find it's also a panic room of sorts; them Survivors left several extra supplies just in case another group passed this way. Don't know if you'll need those, though_.

Vance nodded. * _Thanks for your help, Charlie_.

= _Ain't nothing to it. Sorry for what happened earlier_.

* _No problem. You and your sister take care, now_.

The Charger made a slight grunt, which Vance considered to be a chuckle. = _Yeah. I get to charge some Survivors and I'm good_.

Adrian and Carter voiced out their thanks, and Julie nodded once at the Charger as he left. Charlie set off down the street at a moderate pace and Carter wrenched the door to the safe room open. They could see tables of first aid kits, pain pills, weapons, and some throwables.

Ignoring these, they went down the stairs and out onto the other side of the house.

The Ducatel Sugar Mill loomed before them, and they saw a crudely painted sign "STAY OUT: WITCHES" hanging on the upper left of the building's façade.

- _I get the feeling those Witches did that by themselves. Damn Survivors didn't know how to read, apparently_.

# _Or maybe they needed the gas badly. Like us_.

- _Well, let's get crackin'_!

As the Infected Survivors slowly entered the sugar mill (Julie holding her breath so as not to be overwhelmed by the sugary scent that was slowly clouding her concentration), Charlie made his way back towards his house.

"Look, the sugar mill's not far. Stop bickerin', you two!"

The Charger's ears pricked up. Human Survivors.

He spotted one of them, a dark-haired man in a dirty white suit appeared from behind the corner. Charlie braced himself and sped at full force towards the man.

The Survivor was caught unawares, allowing Charlie to smash him against the wooden pole of a garage.

"Shoot this fucking thing on me!" the man screamed, clawing at Charlie's enlarged arm. Charlie barely heard the Survivors' shouts, but he did hear his sister's hacking acid spit as she rushed out of their house to help him.

"Goo inbound!"

= _Anna get inside_!

The Spitter turned her long neck towards him, but a split second later she fell to the ground with a cry as a bullet pierced her skull. Charlie's roar made him slam the Survivor down on the concrete with furious and reckless abandon.

So insane was he that he failed to see the other Survivors bearing down on him, guns aloft and firing.

* * *

Survivors

Nick winced as Rochelle dabbed medicine on his bruises. The Charger and Spitter they'd just killed seemed to work like a team, which unnerved him. The Special Infected they'd been meeting all acted like crazy crackpots: the Tank near Liberty Mall, the Witch in the Peach Pit Stadium, and now the Charger and the Spitter.

It was as if these had _feelings_.

Nick shook the thought away and focused on Rochelle, who was finishing the last touches of her medical aid.

"Thanks sweetheart," he told her once she was done.

"You're welcome." Rochelle picked up her combat rifle and smiled briefly at him before joining Ellis, who was shooting the nearby Infected.

"Boy, you got a thing for her?" Coach asked from behind him. The health instructor still had the slight limp he'd gotten after he'd fallen off the Screaming Oak, something that the other two failed to notice. Nick did – his gambling skills had given him a keen sense of observation – and despite his belief that he shouldn't care for people whom he just met, he couldn't help but worry that Coach was reaching the end of his tether.

"For whom?" Nick asked, although he knew that sounded stupid. Who else?

"Who else?" Coach jerked his head towards Rochelle, who was in the process of slipping in a clip into her combat rifle. "I've seen the way you're lookin' at her."

Nick rolled his eyes and Coach chuckled.

"Hey if you like her, go for it. We're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse; y'never know what's goin' to happen." Coach cocked his shotgun. "But you better be sure you ain't goin' to screw her over, Nick. If you do, I'm comin' after you with a chainsaw."

Nick smirked. "Feeling a bit paternal, huh?"

Coach threw him a look and walked briskly to keep up with Ellis and Rochelle. Nick studied Rochelle for a moment before following his companions.

As much as he wanted to entertain the possibility of him and Rochelle getting together, there was someone who needed him more.

Julie.


	17. Sob Story

**Author's Note/Warning: Major character death/s will follow; this chapter serves as a premise. **

* * *

**Sob Story**

Survivors

"Get inside!"

Ellis held the safe room door open while Coach and Nick dashed across the street, taking turns shooting at the horde.

They'd gone a few feet from the spot where Nick had been pummeled by a Charger without incident, until Ellis, with his trigger-happy tendencies, shot an alarmed car in an attempt to kill a Jockey that was hopping towards them with Infected glee.

As a result, he'd summoned a horde that flowed out of the surrounding houses, forcing the Survivors to fight their way to the safe room that was located on a second story house. Coach's ankle was acting up, and he was considerably slower now. Nick had to compensate for the older man's lack of firepower, and soon they found themselves alone on the street, just steps away from a painful death.

Rochelle covered the two men as best she could, and it was with herculean effort that Nick shoved Coach towards the stairs and stood against the Infected. This was not the first time he'd seen these motherfuckers up close, but this was the first time he was miles closer to his goal.

Julie was counting on him, and Nick knew that each minute mattered now. He would not be five minutes late to save his daughter. Not again.

'_If only Virgil hadn't run out of gas_,' Nick thought grimly. '_We could have been in New Orleans by now. But no, we're stuck doing this stupid goddamn milk run across a small town. Great. Just per-fucking-fect_.'

With a grunt, Nick took the steps two at a time and dived into the safe room; Rochelle helped Ellis swing the door closed. One of the Infected managed to get its green, mottled hand between the door frame and the door, but Coach severed it using a fire axe he'd found on the table.

"We made that by the skin of our teeth," Nick breathed, as he stood. He was shaken, but covered it up well. "Coach, you okay buddy?"

"Yeah, m'fine," Coach assured him, leaning against the wall. "Ain't nothin' I've felt before, so don't you worry."

Ellis walked over to the weapons and swapped his sniper rifle with a hunting rifle, running his hand lovingly down the wooden stock. Rochelle replaced the first aid kit she'd used on Nick, and even pocketed a bottle of Boomer bile, just in case.

"Sugar mill's right across the street!" Ellis crowed. "We'll be able to get the gas and be out of here in no time!"

"Yeah, well seeing the sugar mill and getting to it are two different things," Nick said dryly. "I bet there's going to be-"

"Aw Nick, don't jinx it," Coach breathed, gathering as much shotgun shells as his pockets could carry. "We just get the gas and get back to Virgil."

Rochelle nodded grimly and walked down the stairs, where she lifted the safe room bar off and set it on the ground. Coach followed her, leaving Ellis and Nick to take up the rear. The sugar mill loomed ahead of them, accompanied by the usual group of Infected. Some were wearing reflective vests and hard hats, while others donned simple denim overalls and the usual bloody grin.

The moment they spotted the Survivors, each of the Infected rushed them with their arms aloft, ready to tear into their flesh. Nick and the others effectively gunned them down, leaving a mass of bloodied corpses and bits of flesh and organs in their wake.

"Lookit," Ellis said in a hushed tone. "They say they got some Witches in here."

"Makes me wish CEDA'd stop barricading the goddamn roads so that we don't have to go through the sugar mill," Nick muttered darkly.

The way into the sugar mill was dotted with Infected, including a Hunter and a Smoker that both attacked Rochelle, who was walking in front of the group. Coach shoved the Hunter off while Ellis planted a bullet through its skull, and Nick reduced the Smoker to green gas.

"You're definitely a magnet for Special Infected, sweetheart," Nick commented with a smirk as he helped her up. "Better stand behind me."

Rochelle snorted but followed him anyway. Nick hid a grin and glanced at her, noticing that she seemed to be checking him out.

"And don't even think of slapping my ass." Nick ejected the spent clip and slammed a new one home.

Coach overheard this and grunted, while Ellis scratched the back of his head and turned towards what looked like a small garage.

"C'mon," the mechanic urged, and the three followed him. The back of the sugar mill was in shambles. Pipes had fallen to the ground, giving the Survivors a small pathway above, while bricks lay on the ground, making it difficult for them to walk without having to look down.

Coach clicked his tongue; he was worried about twisting his ankle again. Thankfully, Rochelle spotted a small locker room that winded across the area. The sounds of two Witches greeted them as they reached a trailer.

"Ellis, don't-" Nick warned, but the mechanic became startled at the sudden appearance of the Wandering Witch that he shot at her before he even knew what he was doing.

This effectively startled the Witch and she raised her arms and ran screaming towards Ellis.

"Heeeeeeeeeelp! Witch on my ass!" Ellis yelled, firing at the Witch seconds before she was upon him. Ellis screamed as the Witch slashed at his torso. Blood dotted the ground around him, and even as the three other Survivors fired at the Witch, the blood – Ellis's blood – slowly stained the soil.

* * *

Infected

It wasn't hard going through the sugar mill. While most of the Witches there were completely mutated by the Green Flu virus, there was a handful that weren't. Julie met Amy and Cary, two Wandering Witches, outside a trailer close to the processing area of the mill.

At first the two Witches, like Charlie, didn't understand why the group wanted to go to New Orleans. It was only when Julie snapped at them that she needed to help her daddy get to safety did they understand.

Amy and Cary pointed the group in the direction of the gas station and told them to be careful of the Dawson brothers, who had both mutated into Tanks.

= _They get pissed really easily, so I'd avoid them if I were you_.

- _Sure. Thanks for the tip, baby_.

Now they were climbing up the stairs that led to the elevator, which overlooked a field and the gas station.

Julie crouched behind the wall, glad that she finally found a spot that wasn't sunny. Even though the sun wasn't blazing in her eyes (it had even started raining a bit), she'd been out in the streets long enough for her eyes to get all red and, as Adrian put it, "freakish looking."

* _Gas is just across the wheat field_!

- _Great. Hey, let me go back there and ask for Cary's number, okay_?

+ _You really want to get it on with a Witch? She's temperamental! No offense, Jules_.

# _None taken_.

* _Gas before dates, Adrian. Come on_.

The Infected Survivors had barely made it a few steps when one of the Witches they'd met earlier, Amy, spoke.

= _Hey Jules_!

# _Amy_?

= _You'd better come down here, quick! There's this really hot guy in a white suit! Well, not really white, but who cares! He's so hot!_

Julie's eyes widened as Amy's voice was nearly drowned out by the sudden scream of a Witch and the faint sound of gunfire. There was only one guy in a white suit that she knew (Julie completely ignored the fact that Amy called him 'hot'). That only meant…

# _Oh my god. Daddy_!

= _Wait,_ he's _your daddy? Well he's definitely sugar daddy material_.

Julie screeched, and Amy laughed. = _Just kidding, kid. Still, he's so cute_.

Julie made a move to go down the building, but something stopped her. Slowly her eyes turned towards the gas station, and then back into the sugar mill. There was only one possible reason why her daddy would even be here; he was after the gas.

# _I don't think we should get the gas_.

- _What? Are you insane? We're just a few feet away_!

# _Daddy's after the gas too. If we take it, they'll be stranded here_.

- _And so will we_!

# _If this…if this is how we can help him, then we're stranded_. Julie's tone faltered, and a sob escaped her lips. It was true, though. Julie had promised herself that she'd get Nick to the military safe zone in New Orleans, and if her being stranded in Milltown would help, then so be it.

Adrian made a slight twitch, as if he wanted to say something else, but decided against it.

* _You sure about this_?

Vance and the others didn't mind; they, after all, were Infected. They were out of options. At least Nick and his other companions had a chance. During their brief travels together, the four had formed a familial bond of sorts. They knew that they'd have to make tough choices like this one way or the other, and now it seemed that the time had come.

* _We'll find another way to New Orleans. We might not be ahead of them, but we can always catch up_.

+ _When have we ever been that lucky_?

* _We can always try, Carter. Come on. I see several trucks down there; we might be able to start one up_.

# _Road's blocked, though_.

* _We can climb it. Don't worry, Julie. We'll get to New Orleans and we won't get stranded_.

+ _Oh how can you be so optimistic_?

- _Because he's Vance. The name says it all_.

+ _And you think everything is a joke_.

* _What's up with you, Carter_?

The Smoker coughed but said nothing. He'd always carried this negative aura, and right now it was coming back in full force. Julie glanced at him, unsure. She wasn't completely close to Carter, that's for sure, but she had thought that he at least had her back. He was most like Nick, but thanks to him she could see why people considered her daddy an asshole.

* _Okay. Let's just get out of the sugar mill so that we can start looking for a truck or car we can use_.

The four Infected Survivors made their way down; thanks to their heightened senses, they were able to forego using the elevator and made do climbing down the wall. The wheat field (although Vance doubted it really was wheat) was choked with Infected, several Witches, and a fellow Hunter.

# _Think we should kill them_?

Vance remained silent for a moment. Finally he shook his head. * _We're at a disadvantage. There's too many Witches around; we might startle one and she could attack us. At this point we really can't afford to be reckless_.

The other three Infected Survivors agreed. They knew that New Orleans was within reach – if they found transport, that is.


	18. Six in the City

**Six in the City**

Infected

The paved streets were gushing red. Blood trickled past the gaps between the bricks, but the world around her spinned.

How did it get bad so fast? How?

Breathe. That was all she could do now. Screaming wouldn't solve anything but draw them towards her and her companions, and she didn't want to risk anything else. So close. she could see the bridge, hear the military jets fly past.

But she didn't stop running. Could never stop running.

Vance's screech echoed in the air and she screamed this time, whipping around to see Vance leap into a nearby alleyway.

_# Vance!_

_+ Don't stop, Jules! Get into the safe room!_

_# The safe room? Are you kidding? That's where _they're _headed!_

_+ Just don't stop!_

Torn between her own survival and the survival of her friends, Julie hesitated before making a choked sob and running. Sounds of pursuit echoed in her ears, and she clapped her hands over them in an attempt to drown everything out.

The journey from Milltown started by them walking a few miles on foot in the direction of New Orleans, with Vance having snagged a map from the gas station before making themselves scarce. They managed to find a truck, which Adrian had hotwired with much gusto, before driving towards the city.

- _Man, now I'm wishing I could have spent time with that Cary girl. She's a neat piece of Witchy-slice. _

_+ Shut up, horndog._

_- You're just jealous because you can't kiss anyone with that tongue of yours._

_+ At least I'm tall enough._

_- Fuck you, man. Fuck you._

_+ Sorry, I prefer girls._

_* Will the both of you be quiet?_

_+ Tell that little humper to keep that flabby thing in his spandex pants!_

_- I didn't know you were looking, Carty. I knew you secretly liked me._

_+ I'd rather kiss a Tank._

_- Go on, I dare you._

While Carter and Adrian bickered, Julie curled up in the backseat and looked out the window. The rain had been coming down hard and fast for the past twenty minutes, and it was obvious by the flow of the water that Milltown was located in a low point in Louisiana.

Her stomach clenched at their decision to leave, but if they had stayed then they would have encountered Nick and his companions. And that certainly was a recipe for disaster. Needless to say, they managed to escape such a confrontation by leaving the scene quickly.

Julie didn't know whether Amy or Cary was lucky enough to stay out of Nick's way, but she hoped that they did.

The rest of the ride was punctuated by Carter's hacking coughs and Adrian's giggles. Vance and Julie were both silent; the former brooding over what would happen once they reached New Orleans. Vance, on the other hand, spent time fiddling with the radio, which picked up several feeds from truckers who were trying to make their way to the city.

_* Listen, the city's probably going to be full of CEDA and soldiers, so we should all be careful. No fooling around._

_+ He means you, Adrian._

_- Oh shut up, man, it's not like you fool around as well._

_+ Not as much as you._

_* Also, we need to focus on getting on the bridge. I've heard from the radio that the military is evacuating people there. If we're going to help Jules's dad get there, we need to make sure the path's clear. Watch over the evacuation process and make sure nothing goes wrong._

_# And kill anyone who tries to stop them._

_+ Bloodthirsty kid, aren't you?_

_# I'm a Witch now. I guess it doesn't matter if I'm a kid or not; I'm a killing machine._

_* With a kid's mind. Don't you lose sight of that, Jules._

_- Sweet._

Vance hissed at Adrian, who let out a series of giggles and hopped on the backseat, making the vehicle rock. The other Infected Survivors groaned and Carter slapped Adrian on the back of the head with a slimy gray tongue.

_+ Stop pairing them up, will you? He's older than she is!_

_- So? Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were married and he's old enough to be her dad!_

_* And your point is? _

_- I think the two of you are going to get together in the future. _

Adrian's grin seemed to become wider at this, and Julie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. But a part of her wondered, even though she was four years younger than Vance, of the possibility.

New Orleans loomed before them after several hours of nonstop driving, save for the moments when Vance and Carter siphoned gas from the vehicles that were left on the side of the highway. They all expected the city to be in a state of organization, but as their vehicle passed through the city boundaries it was evident that it was an utter shithole.

Buildings and homes had been broken into, cars and other types of vehicles blocked the streets, trash littered the pavement, and bodies of uninfected, Carriers, and Infected alike were sprawled on the sidewalks. Some had even been strung up on the lampposts.

The Infected Survivors were forced to abandon their vehicle a block into the city and continue on foot. Vance and Carter led the way, followed by Adrian and Julie.

_- Man, things got really bad really fast in here. The military are morons._

_* Looks like they tried to keep things under control. _

_- Well they still failed. I knew they were useless!_

_+ Calm down, Adrian. Let's just get this over with._

Adrian giggled involuntarily and hopped ahead of the group. He had just come to an intersection when he screeched.

_- Get back!_

_# Adrian, what's going-?_

The rest of Julie's sentence was drowned out by the sudden burst of gunfire and the furious shouts of _human _Survivors.

_- Just run, you guys! Run!_

Adrian screeched in their heads and Julie screamed, which only seemed to fuel the human Survivors' fire.

"There's a fucking Witch! Kill it before it kills us!" A burly man in army fatigues rushed out of the alleyway and fired at Julie; Vance hissed and leaped on the Survivor, tearing madly at the man's chest.

_+ Vance just drop it and go!_

_# Vance!_

Julie's voice seemed to snap Vance out of his Hunter frenzy, and he leaped off the man before the other Survivors reached him. The four of them ran pell-mell down the street towards a park, where they hid behind a tall hedge.

"Search the park! I ain't lettin' those sons of bitches away!"

"Merle, let it go! Let's just find the military and get the hell out of here!"

"Nothin' doin', man! That shithead of a Hunter tried killing my little brother!"

_* We need to move – fast._

_+ How? It sounds like they're spreading out. I don't know about you, man, but dealing with human Survivors wasn't part of our plan!_

_- I'll draw them out while you guys make a run for it._

_+ Why are you going all heroic on us, Adrian? Come on, let's stick together._

_- Nah, I'll just…_

_# Adrian, are you-_

_- JUST GET HER TO THE GODDAMN BRIDGE!_

"Hey, I heard the little back humper! It's back here!"

Adrian looked around at the others. For the first time since the attack commenced, Julie saw the river of blood that snaked down Adrian's spandex shorts.

He'd been shot.

_# No, Adrian, you're going to make it. You're…_

_- Let's face it, Jules, we all know I'm practically a goner. Buckshot hurts like shit. I'm just going to slow you all down._

_# No. Vance, tell him!_

_* He's right. We don't have much time. Those assholes are going to find us any second. Adrian –_

Before Vance could finish his sentence, however, Adrian giggled and hopped out behind the hedge. They heard him shout "It's been one hell of a ride, you guys!" before the gunfire blocked everything out.

_* Run! _

The three of them darted past the rows of hedges and burst out behind the park. Adrian was silent now, but gunfire still sounded behind them. That gave the three a small glimmer of hope that Adrian was still alive.

What they didn't expect to see was four more Survivors waiting for them; the moment the first bullet whizzed past their heads they scattered. Vance leaped over the fence while Julie and Carter ran and dodged behind the cement barriers.

Now she and Carter were making a mad dash for the safe room on the other side of the bus station. The Survivors had followed them through CEDA's evacuation center: Julie had used her speed to rush past the chainlink fences, while Carter looped his tongue over the tops of the fences to haul himself over. His tongue was now a long, grayish rope of flesh that he was winding around his neck as he ran. Sooner or later he had to cut it off, but now they were both intent on reaching the safe room.

_# Carter, we have to go back! Vance and Adrian –_

_+ They'd want us to go on, Jules! Come on, the safe room's right there!_

The red metal door loomed before them, and Julie pushed herself to run the last few feet.

Just before Carter pushed the door open, Vance landed next to them with a slight thud. His right arm was bleeding, and he looked out of breath.

_# Vance!_

_+ What the hell happened to you, man? And where's Adrian?_

Vance shook his head. _* Had to make sure those assholes wouldn't follow us. _

_# What did you do?_

_* Set their asses on fire. That big guy, Merle, he shot at me just before I tackled him to the ground. Grazed my shoulder._

Carter and Julie turned around. Sure enough, smoke was snaking past the roofs of the bus station. Vance opened the safe room door and collapsed.

* * *

Survivors

Nick kicked at a rock on the ground; it hit a nearby truck that was blocking his path and bounced back onto the street. A moan came from behind the truck, and the conman darted around and shot the Infected point blank in the face.

New Orleans was hell.

Despite the presence of fighter jets, it was clear that the locals had been caught unawares. Streamers that announced the approaching Mardi Gras festivities were out, and some of the Infected they'd killed since Virgil had dropped them off at the pier near Jules' Fresh Crawfish (a seafood restaurant, no doubt, although Nick wondered at the irony of it bearing Julie's nickname so close to the military outpost) were wearing Mardi Gras-themed outfits.

"Some people are just so excited about things," Nick muttered, training his silenced submachine gun at the Infected milling about in the small bar that stood on the corner of the street.

Behind him Ellis and Rochelle aimed their guns at the Infected as well, before joining Nick. Rochelle turned around, and Nick knew what she was doing. Hell, all of them expected to see Coach walk out from behind the truck, his booming Southern voice telling them to push through and see each other through the end.

Coach was gone.

Shortly after Ellis had been attacked by the Witch in the sugar mill, Coach had fired a few rounds at the Witch, which made her back off and attack _him _instead. While Rochelle helped Ellis to his feet and inside the nearby trailer, Nick covered Coach with the remaining bullets that he had.

But Coach's ankle had been caught in the pile of bricks and he fell, twisting the same ankle that he'd hurt falling off the Screaming Oak. This gave the Witch cause to fall upon him in a wild, mad frenzy, slashing the health instructor to bits as his screams filled the air.

Nick shouted at Rochelle to give him a gun, a crowbar, _anything_, but by the time Rochelle had handed him a hunting rifle that was on the table inside the trailer, the Witch had run off with a scream and a sob.

"Coach." Nick hurried to the older man's side and exhaled. "Don't you die on us, buddy."

But even he knew that Coach was dead. His entire torso had been slashed to ribbons, and his wide eyes stared lifelessly at the sky.

"Nick, what's going-" Rochelle ground to a halt as she saw Coach's lifeless body. With a sob, she cradled the older man in her arms, tears streaming down her face.

"We…we have to go on, Ro," Nick heard himself say.

Coach was dead. Dead. That fact alone was hard to accept; the man was their freaking _leader_, for crying out loud! He wasn't supposed to die; not when they were this close to getting to New Orleans!

There was no time for burial, but Nick managed to pull Coach's body away from the pile of bricks and into a flat space behind several metal tanks, so that he wouldn't be trodden on.

And so they moved on. Ellis healed himself using a first aid kit on the table, and they replaced their weapons with the guns that had been left on the table inside the trailer. Getting to the gas station was hell, and getting back to the Burger Tank was like sliding down the seven circles of hell.

Everything had gone to hell.

They barely managed to get on Virgil's boat after Ellis suggested lighting the Burger Tank sign, and by the time Virgil had eased the boat away from the small pier behind the fast food restaurant, all three of them were sporting bruises.

Now they were in New Orleans, and it looked like they were all in for the fight of their lives.

_Like we aren't always_, Nick thought sourly as he followed the others down an alleyway and into a small courtyard. Ellis and Rochelle weren't making any moves to step up to Coach's place, and Nick noticed they seemed to be copying whatever _he _was doing.

He wanted to tell them that they shouldn't do that, that he wasn't built to be a leader and expect to lead all three of them to safety, and that he didn't even trust himself to make life-changing decisions. But a part of him knew that maybe, just maybe, their belief in him helped keep them alive.

Alive just long enough to reach the military outpost and give the soldiers hell for being complete and utter shitheads.

They spotted the safe room just outside the back of the restaurant; Ellis shot the Infected plus a Spitter that ran at them with her familiar hacking noise, while Rochelle and Nick covered the youngster.

Once Nick and Ellis had slid the heavy metal bar across the door, they all slumped on the floor with a sigh.

"How much further?" Ellis asked, looking from Rochelle to Nick.

"Freeways normally connect to bridges," Rochelle said. "If we follow a freeway, we can reach the bridge in no time."

Nick nodded and stood, picking up pain pills and restocking his ammunition from a pile near the cash register. The safe room was inside a former convenience store, but hardly anything was left on the shelves.

"Ready?" Nick asked the other two, who nodded at him. "We can do this."

"For Coach," Ellis added, and Nick gritted his teeth.

"For Coach."


End file.
